JAPAN TO ACCEPT UP TO 500 INDONESIAN HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN FY 2010+

TOKYO, Nov. 24 Kyodo -
Japan will accept up to 500 healthcare workers in fiscal 2010 starting April 1
under an economic partnership agreement, the health ministry said Tuesday.

Japan informed the Indonesian government of the decision the same day, said
officials at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The quota breaks down
into 200 nurses and 300 caregivers.

In the 2008 and 2009 fiscal years, Japan set the quota at 1,000 and accepted
570 healthcare workers from Indonesia -- 277 nurses and 293 caregivers.

Japan International Corp. of Welfare Services, a health ministry affiliate,
will recruit hospitals and nursing care facilities from across Japan that are
willing to accept the Indonesian healthcare workers, the officials said.

Under a similar agreement with the Philippines, Japan has accepted Filipino
nurses and caregivers.

==Kyodo