1 week ago

India-Japan 50,000-Worker Corridor Confronts Japanese-Language Skills Gap

India and Japan want more Indian workers to find jobs in Japan.

Their goal is to help 50,000 people move for work within five years.

Honda India Foundation has started training 60 healthcare assistants for this opportunity.

The trainees will study Japanese, caregiving, workplace culture and interview skills.

However, there are not enough Japanese-language teachers for all the people who want to learn.

Many students start learning Japanese, but only a smaller number reach the level needed for employment.

Training can also be expensive and may take six to 12 months.

Experts say employers, colleges and training institutes could work together to create more Japan-ready workers.

Key facts

Five-year target: Movement of 50,000 skilled personnel and potential talent from India to Japan.
Honda programme: 60 healthcare assistants have begun a year-long preparation programme.
Language levels: Participants are working toward Japanese-Language Proficiency Test levels N5 and N4.
Japanese learners in India: Nearly 53,000 learners, a 47% increase over three years.
Teaching pool: 1,285 Japanese-language teachers, or about 41 learners per teacher.
Annual training funnel: About 18,000–22,000 people enter elementary Japanese programmes, while roughly 3,500–5,000 reach employment-level proficiency.
Current Indian workers in Japan: Around 2,000 through principal technical-intern and specified-skilled-worker programmes.

thehindubusinessline.com · 1 week ago