Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment, ManushaNanayakkara, who is on an official visit to Japan held successful talks with several high-ranking Japanese officials to secure more job opportunities, especially in higher wage categories for Sri Lankan workers in Japan.
Also the Minister’s request for Japan’s help to establish job-oriented training centers for Sri Lankan’s targeting the Japan job market, met with a positive response.
The Minister was able to reach agreements on the above with Japanese Government officials.
Minister Nanayakkara held talks with Japan’s Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare Katsunobu Kato about the possibility of increasing the number of job opportunities for Sri Lankan caregivers in Japan. He also requested the Japanese Minister to open up job opportunities in building maintenance and cleaning sectors which are not currently open to Sri Lankans.
Minister Nanayakkara pointed out that by increasing the number of centres and the days on which examinations are held to recruit caregivers, the process of recruitment can be accelerated giving opportunities for more people to secure jobs. The Japanese Minister had agreed to the request by Minister Nanayakkara.
The two ministers had also agreed to start a training center and a centre to examine qualifications in Sri Lanka targeting the building maintenance and cleaning job sectors in Japan.
Meanwhile, Minister Manusha Nanayakkara held talks with Satoshi Fujimaru, Minister of State in the Cabinet Office of Japan regarding the previous agreement reached to start a training center targeting jobs in Japan’s automobile industry.
After explaining the technical details, Minister of State in the Cabinet Office of Japan Satoshi Fujimaru had assured Minister Nanayakkara that steps will be taken to establish such a centre at the earliest.
During talks with Yoshitaka Shindo, Chairman of Japan Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Forum, Minister Nanayakkara discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations between Japan and Sri Lanka, especially in the labour sector.
The minister expressed his gratitude for the support provided by Japan during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.
The two parties had a long exchange of views on the situation that has arisen with the increase in the elderly population in Japan and how Sri Lankan workers can contribute to the Japanese workforce in that context.
The discussion also focused on how to make it easier for expatriate workers to come for work in Japan, and the Chairman of the Japan-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Forum had explained the importance of learning the Japanese language, Japanese culture and practices for a foreign worker.
Minister ManushaNanayakkara, who met the CEO of Global Workforce, Morihiro Tada, a leading organization that recruits foreign workers to Japan, requested him to provide more job opportunities for skilled Sri Lankan’s in Japan. The two parties had also reached an agreement to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the above.
A discussion was also held between a group of representatives including Kanami Holdings CEO Takanobu Osak, Head of International Recruitment Division Hirokimi Kagei, and Minister ManushaNanayakkara regarding job opportunities for skilled workers in Japan.
Shan Yahampath, an Advisor to the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment and Attorney-at-Law, Saminda Jayasekara, Legal Director of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, were also present at these discussions. (FOREIGN Employement Bureau)
