Jobs await Filipinos in Japan

TOKYO – More job opportunities await Filipinos here as industries face manpower issues because of an aging population.

Philippine Ambassador to Japan Jose Laurel V said the Japanese Diet has passed a law allowing foreigners to work through the issuance of special visas.

“It allows more Filipinos to come here and work at high level incomes. Of course, there are rules and regulations. They are still fettering out some of these regulations because it’s the first time in the history of the Japanese people since the war that they have allowed this,” Laurel said at a press briefing yesterday.

“The reason is basically the decreasing population of Japan. If the growth of population continues to decline in two generations, by the third generation it will not be able to sustain the balance,” he added.

Because of the policy, Laurel expects about 50,000 Filipinos to come here by yearend.

“We do not have problems here... Ang problema natin dito, eh, masyadong masaya ang Pilipino (Our problem is that Filipinos here are too happy)... And I predict that by the end of the year, there’s an additional 50,000 legitimate registered foreigners working here in Japan contributing to the welfare of the Japanese people, and it is quite significant,” he said.

Japan’s graying population, according to Laurel, has created a demand for workers in caregiving, information technology, engineering and manufacturing sectors.

“In fact, I’m trying to stop the hiring of engineers because we need the engineers back home. Why? We need the engineers to build our subways,” the envoy said.

The Philippine embassy is set to establish a consulate in Nagoya, a manufacturing center, to take advantage of the opportunity.

There are about 285,000 Filipinos here.

No meeting with emperor

Meanwhile, President Duterte will not have the chance to meet with Japanese Emperor Naruhito during his visit here because of some protocols, Laurel said at the same press briefing.

Other leaders attending the 25th Nikkei Conference on the Future of Asia would have to be allowed to see the emperor if Duterte is invited to meet with him, according to the envoy.

“No one will see (the emperor), not even anyone of the five that were invited to speak at Nikkei because Nikkei is a private affair. And there is no chance because if you allow Duterte (to meet with the emperor), you also have to allow (Malaysian Prime Minister) Mahathir (Mohamad). If you allow Mahathir, you also have to allow the leaders of Laos and Cambodia,” he said.

“You see, the Japanese are very protocolar. They are very traditional. They actually choose who visits them. For the emperor because the emperor is the symbol of Japan,” he added.

Other Asian leaders invited to the Nikkei conference are Prime Ministers Sheik Hasina of Bangladesh, Hun Sen of Cambodia and Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos.

While none of the leaders attending the conference will see Naruhito, US President Donald Trump, who was on a four-day state visit to Japan, met with the emperor, making him the first foreign head-of-state to do so.

Laurel likened Naruhito to a bride whose face should not be seen before the wedding.

“The Japanese have their own rituals. You have to understand them. You have to understand their culture, their system. And in the end, you get along with them because they have a system that you have to wait until they are crowned,” the envoy said.

Naruhito ascended to the throne this month after his father Akihito abdicated, the first by a Japanese emperor in centuries. A formal enthronement ceremony is expected to be held in October.

In 2017, Duterte met with then Japanese emperor Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko and thanked them for visiting the Philippines during the 60th anniversary of the normalization of Philippine-Japan diplomatic relations in 2016.

‘Interesting to the Japanese’

While Duterte is not expected to meet with the new emperor, the President is an “interesting” figure to the Japanese because of his leadership style, according to Laurel.

“The Japanese are always fascinated with leadership that is recognized, affirmed by their own people and at the same time a tremendous political will insofar as his programs are concerned. So, he is not controversial but interesting. Ibang klase (One of a kind) for the Japanese,” the ambassador said.

“The Japanese are also interested in quality leadership that leads the nation,” he added.

Laurel said the Japanese are fascinated by the Philippines’ economic growth, something he attributed to Duterte’s anti-corruption campaign.

“This person is one of a kind. If he says something, he will do it. The first time I have seen this kind of leadership since (the late president Ramon) Magsaysay,” Laurel said.

“In other words, I do not smell (corruption in this administration). I will not work at 75 to destroy my family name,” he added.