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40% of school boards test English of new recruits
Focusing on efforts to employ [Japanese] teachers with a high degree of English proficiency, the Saitama prefectural government set up a special application category on its academic 2009 recruitment exam for prospective [Japanese] teachers with English qualifications– such as a Grade Pre-1 on the Eiken English proficiency test. Applicants in the category are exempted from…
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Japan’s temps may get new deal, of sorts
The second coming of Haken Mura (dispatched workers’ village), temporary holiday accommodation for Japan’s growing number of laid-off haken (dispatched) workers, attracted less public attention than its 2009 incarnation. “Big” stories, such as the alleged corruption involving ruling party leader Ozawa Ichiro, or the US-Japan spat over where to put American Marine helicopters in Okinawa,…
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Japanese language a barrier for Indonesian and Filipino nurses
The Japanese health ministry has rejected a plan to make it easier for Indonesian and Filipino nurses to qualify for work in Japan. A 2008 Economic Partnership Agreement allows a number of Indonesian and Filipino nurses and caregivers to train and work in Japan. But the compulsory national exam and the level of language the…
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Ward to give dogs resident cards
Itabashi Ward in Tokyo will start issuing residential cards for dogs on Monday in a bid to encourage more pet owners to officially register the animals, according to ward officials. For registered dogs only, the cards will be issued free of charge at public health centers in the ward. The postcard-size residential card will bear…
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30% of Tokyo nursing homes use foreigners
More than 30 percent of nursing homes in Tokyo are hiring foreign caregivers, according to a survey by a social welfare body. The Tokyo Council of Social Welfare found that 196 foreign workers are employed at 101 of the capital’s elder care facilities. The survey covered 389 facilities and drew responses from 316. Japan recently…
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Immigration policy to favor wealthy, skilled
To prepare for the expected population decline, the Justice Ministry plans to welcome highly educated professional foreign workers, but it will make entry tougher for descendants of Japanese. The planned new immigration policy, based on a point system, is intended to maintain Japan’s future economic growth by taking in more skilled foreigners, such as researchers,…
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Ueda against letting foreigners vote
Saitama Gov. Kiyoshi Ueda said Tuesday he is against a bill that would give permanent foreign residents the right to vote in local elections. “I have long been opposed to such a bill. I don’t think it is a matter to be decided by a majority of votes (in the Diet),” Ueda said. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100120a8.html
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Nagoya to withdraw from Juki Net
Nagoya plans to withdraw from the nationwide online residency registry network known as Juki Net [aka the Basic Resident Registers Network], Mayor Takashi Kawamura said Tuesday. Kawamura told internal affairs minister Kazuhiro Haraguchi he will reach his decision after he discusses the issue with city residents. He also told Haraguchi the system should be abolished.…
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Born in Japan, but ordered out
Fida Khan, a gangly 14-year-old, told the court that immigration authorities should not deport him and his family merely because his foreign-born parents lacked proper visas when they came to Japan more than 20 years ago. During the past two decades, his Pakistani father and Filipino mother have held steady jobs, raised children, paid taxes…
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Tokyo snubs call to keep shelter, services for homeless
An antipoverty citizens’ group is asking the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to continue providing shelter and life-counseling services to hundreds of jobless and homeless people staying at a temporary shelter due to be shut down Monday. The group, called one-stop no kai, is made up of activists who set up a tent village in Tokyo’s Hibiya…