Japan's elder‑care sector leans on foreign workers as caregiver shortage deepens

In north‑Kanto’s Gunma prefecture, the group home “Yorokobi” operates a multicultural staff of about 12 foreign caregivers—including a Filipino woman, Myanmar and Vietnam nationals, and two Chinese‑origin workers—to look after primarily dementia patients. The facility, part of a trend where private homes admit Tokyo welfare recipients, highlights the growing reliance on overseas labor in Japan’s ageing society.

Fukushima prefecture faces a parallel crisis: its population fell below 1.7 million and seniors aged 75+ now comprise 19.2 % of residents. Officials project a shortfall of 3,300 caregivers by 2030 and 7,500 by 2040. To bridge the gap, the prefecture has welcomed “specified‑skill” foreign workers, such as Indonesian Andy Anarta, who recently began at an elderly‑care health facility in Iwaki, and several other Indonesians already employed at the “Konomatsuhashi Tokiwazeni” home.

Both regions illustrate how Japan increasingly depends on foreign labour to sustain its long‑term care system amid demographic decline and rising demand.