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Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan |
Japan is an island nation in East Asia, with capital Tokyo and population 127.8 million (2011). The type of government is unitary state with constitutional monarchy and parliamentary system. Official language is Japanese language.
Japan is one of the world's leaders in the development of new environment-friendly technologies, and is ranked 20th best in the world in the 2010.
As of 2012,
Japan is the third largest national economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP, and the fourth largest national economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity.
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Shinjuku, Japan |
Japan has the longest overall life expectancy at birth of any country in the world. Life expectancy at birth was 83 years in 2009 (male 79.6, and female 86.4 years). The Japanese population is rapidly aging as a result of a post–World War II baby boom. Followed by a decrease in birth rates, about 22.7 percent of the population was over 65 in 2009. And by 2050 as projected in December 2006, almost 40 percent of the population will be aged 65 and over. It making the Japanese desperate need for nurses (kangoshi) or caregivers (kaigofukushishi).
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Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daiichi Hospital |
To be
foreigner nurses or caregivers in Japan, are required to master the Japanese language, either read, write or speak Nihongo. To that end, prospective nurses or caregivers are required to pass the board exams that use the language. According to the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, a foreigner needs to memorize 600 Kanji (Chinese characters) and 1000 words. And the student needs to spend around 600 hours of study the language to pass the Text level-2.
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Nurses in Intensive Care Unit |
Under the proposed intergovernmental nurse placement program (Government to Government) Indonesia-Japan year 2013, the average starting salary for foreigner nurses in Japan is 220,000 Yen, equally $2,229 and for caregivers is $1,767. while exorbitant fees of at least 58,000 yen ($587) are deducted from nurses’ salaries every month.
Meanwhile, the average cost of living in Japan is $851 per month and around $1,000 in Tokyo.
The average winter temperature in Japan is 5.1 °C (41.2 °F) and the average summer temperature is 25.2 °C (77.4 °F). The main rainy season begins in early May and the rain front gradually moves to north in late July. In late summer and early autumn, typhoons often bring heavy rain.