In what may be good news for Indian skilled workers looking to move to Japan, the Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the government of India and the government of Japan, on a basic framework for the partnership for proper operation of the system pertaining to ‘specified skilled worker’.

The agreement establishes an institutional mechanism for partnership and cooperation between India and Japan on sending and accepting skilled Indian workers, who have qualified the required skill and Japanese language test, to work in 14 specified sectors in Japan. The Indian workers would be granted a new status of residence of ‘Specified Skilled Worker’ by the government of Japan.

The MoC aims to enhance people-to -people contacts, foster mobility of workers and skilled professionals from India to Japan. In terms of the sectors recognised under the understanding include – automobile maintenance; nursing care; building cleaning; material processing industry; industrial machinery manufacturing industry; electric and electronic information-related industry; construction; shipbuilding and ship-related industry; aviation; lodging; agriculture; fisheries; food and beverages manufacturing industry and foodservice industry – that would see enhanced job opportunities to work in Japan.