2025-07-31

In Japan, there is a continuing shortage of labor in various fields. In particular, as the elderly population increases, the labor shortage in the nursing care industry is becoming more serious. In order to secure foreign workers, the specified technical skill “nursing care” has been established. The following is a detailed explanation.

What is the Specified Skill System?

The “Specified Skill System” is a system to accept foreigners with certain expertise and skills in industrial fields where it is difficult to secure human resources. 2018 saw the enactment of the “Revised Immigration Control Act,” which created the new “Specified Skill” residence status. In April of the following year, industries suffering from a shortage of human resources began to be able to hire foreign nationals.

There are two types of “Specified Technical Skills” status of residence: “Specified Technical Skill 1” for foreigners with knowledge and experience to engage in specific industrial fields, and “Specified Technical Skill 2” for foreigners with skilled skills to engage in specific industrial fields.

What is the “specified skilled nursing care”?

There are four types of residence statuses that allow foreigners to work in the nursing care industry: “nursing care,” “EPA,” “technical internship,” and “specified technical ”nursing care. Except for “nursing care,” foreign nationals do not need to be certified as a care worker to work as a care worker. Here, we will explain the characteristics of the specific skill “nursing care.

The job description of the specified technical “nursing care” skill includes nursing care work and nursing assistant work. The period of stay is up to 5 years in total, and must be renewed every 1 year, 6 months, or 4 months. Employment is limited to direct employment, and temporary employment is not permitted.

There are two types of specified skills: No. 1 and No. 2, but only No. 1 and not No. 2 is available for nursing care workers. Therefore, if you wish to work in Japan beyond the five-year period of stay, you must obtain a caregiver certification, and then obtain the “nursing care” status of residence to stay in Japan.

The scope of work is limited as follows.
・Physical care, etc. (e.g., assisting with bathing, eating, and elimination in accordance with the care recipient’s situation)
・Work that requires assistance in relation to physical care, etc. (e.g., conducting recreation, assisting with rehabilitation
)

In addition, from April 2025, the following home-visit services will also be available.
・In addition, from April 2025, the following home-visit services will also be available: – Home-visit care, home-visit bathing care, nighttime home-visit care, preventive home-visit bathing care, periodic/as-needed
response home-visit care nursing, home-visit services (comprehensive services), etc.

Requirements for obtaining the specified skills “nursing care”

There are four requirements for obtaining the specified skills “nursing care.

The first requirement is to pass the “specified skill No. 1 evaluation test in the nursing care field. There are three tests: the “nursing care skills evaluation test” related to nursing care work, the “Japanese language test” to assess Japanese language skills, and the “nursing care Japanese language evaluation test.

The second method is to transfer from “Technical Internship No. 2 in the Nursing Care Field. To do so, the following conditions must be met.
・The applicant must have successfully completed Technical Training No. 2 or have completed the practical training plan for No. 3.
・There must be a connection between the type of work and work content of the technical training and the work of the specified technical skills No. 1.

The third requirement is to complete a “care worker training facility. If you have completed the “care worker training program,” you can obtain the specified skill “nursing care” without having to take the specified skill examination. This is because the “care worker training course” is considered to have a certain level of expertise, skills, and knowledge in the field of nursing care, or already possess Japanese language skills.

Finally, the fourth is to complete the period of stay as an “EPA Care Worker Candidate. This is because “EPA Care Worker Candidates” are considered to have sufficient nursing care skills and Japanese language ability after four years of stay.

Summary

The creation of the specified skill “nursing care” is expected to help solve the labor shortage in the nursing care industry. It should be noted that there are four requirements to obtain the specified skill “nursing care.