The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) held a send-off ceremony on 4 June 2025, for the 17th batch of Filipino candidates for nurses and certified careworkers who will be deployed to Japan under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

The event was graced by Minister YOKOTA Naobumi, Minister for Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Japan, who extended his best wishes to the candidates. DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac, Assistant Secretary Levinson C. Alcantara, Director Rosemarie G. Duquez, and Director SUZUKI Ben of the Japan Foundation Manila were also in attendance.

The candidates were hired through a government-to-government partnership facilitated by the DMW and the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS), as part of the JPEPA agreement signed in 2006. Since the program's inception in 2009, over 4,000 Filipino nurses and careworkers have benefited from this initiative.

This 17th batch includes 218 candidates — 19 nurses and 199 careworkers — who are set to depart for Japan in June 2025. Before deployment, they completed six months of preparatory Japanese language training in the Philippines, which ended in May 2025.

Upon arrival in Japan, the candidates will undergo an additional six months of intensive language training, free of charge, with daily living allowances provided. Following this, they will be assigned to hospitals and caregiving facilities where they will continue training to obtain Japanese national licenses in their respective professions.

This program highlights the ongoing cooperation between the Philippines and Japan to address labor demands in the healthcare sector while providing valuable opportunities for Filipino workers.