appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Kyodo

Housekeeping services employing Filipino staff have gained in popularity amid growing demand in Japan for such domestic support, with one provider seeing their workforce roughly double over the past decade.
Since the Japanese government began allowing foreign nationals to provide housekeeping services in national strategic special zones in 2016, workers from the Philippines have been a top choice due to their cheerful personalities, diligence as well as expertise.
In February, a Filipino housekeeping staff member listened carefully to her client’s instructions as she made her on-site debut around a month after arriving in Japan. She assiduously took notes as the client explained in a mix of English and Japanese how to use cleaning tools and the order of detergents.
“[Filipinos] are friendly and easy to talk to and they work seriously, so I can feel at ease,” the client said.
Before 2015, only certain households, such as those of foreign diplomats, had been allowed to employ foreign housekeepers. But a legal change that year, aimed at increasing women’s workforce participation and easing labour shortages in Japan’s housekeeping industry, paved the way for foreigners to work in designated areas.

Following the law revision, Tokyo-based Pinay International launched a business especially employing Filipino housekeepers. It now operates in parts of Tokyo, and neighbouring prefectures of Kanagawa, Osaka and Hyogo with more than 200 Filipino staff working as full-time employees.
The company recruits workers in the Philippines and provides extensive training before and after their arrival in Japan, while also supporting their daily life in areas such as housing.
“Foreign talent playing an active role will likely lead to revitalising Japan,” Pinay International CEO Tetsuya Moteki, 55, said.
According to a survey by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan’s housekeeping services market has been expanding as the number of dual-income households increases.
The ministry has established a certification system to ensure service quality and help consumers choose providers. Around 20 companies, including major housekeeping service firms Duskin and Bears, are registered, with Bears saying it has employed over 200 Filipino staff since 2017.


How a Hong Kong-style milk tea shop in Tokyo has customers queuing out the door

US, Japan and South Korea launch economic-security talks before Xi summit

Southeast Asia supports multilateralism, wary of US or China leadership: survey

2 dead in Japan, over 1.6 million urged to evacuate as Typhoon Dujuan nears Tokyo

Japan

Filipino housekeepers mop up growing demand across Japan

A Filipino worker washes dishes at her first housekeeping assignment in Musashino, Tokyo, in February. 
Photo: Kyodo

Filipino housekeeping staff learn the best way to use an iron during training in Tokyo’s Meguro ward in January. Photo: Kyodo

Saudi Arabia’s reforms fail to halt abuse of Filipino helpers, Amnesty warns

Repatriated Filipino workers arrive in Manila from Saudi Arabia following a crackdown on undocumented workers by Riyadh in 2013. Photo: AFP

People exit a train at a subway station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last year. Photo: AFP

A flare is seen behind pipelines in the desert of Saudi Arabia. The kingdom’s kafala system was codified after the discovery of oil to manage the influx of foreign labour. Photo: EPA-EFE

Members of the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia listen to former president Rodrigo Duterte speak during an official visit to Riyadh in 2017. Photo: AFP

Repatriated Filipinos arrive at Manila International Airport in 2013 following a crackdown by Saudi Arabia on undocumented workers. Photo: AFP

Could Filipinos benefit as China opens door wider for foreign domestic work schools?

An instructor teaches trainees to organise clothing at a domestic services training centre in Qingdao, Shandong province, on July 21. Photo: Xinhua

An instructor teaches trainees to operate a therapy robot at a domestic services training centre in Qingdao, Shandong province, on July 21. Photo: Xinhua

Philippines seeks coders, hackers for military – will it be ‘a career killer’?

Philippine troops participate in live‑fire exercises during Balikatan, which also involves US soldiers, in Barangay Aporawan, Aborlan, Palawan, in April. Photo: Reuters 

Philippine and South Korean troops participate in a military exercise in Ternate, Cavite province, in June. Photo: AFP

Filipino youths sit in an internet cafe in Manila. The Philippine military is aiming to recruit Filipinos with coding, hacking and other tech skills. Photo: AFP

A Ukrainian soldier looks at a drone being launched for a combat mission in an undisclosed location in Ukraine amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

Philippines’ Marcos uses national address to promise relief, but funding questions loom

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr delivers his fifth State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives on Monday. Photo: AP

People wade through floodwaters brought by Tropical Storm Penha in Iligan, the Philippines’ Lanao del Norte province, on February 6. Photo: AFP

A customer (right) pays for rice sold at a market in Malabon City, Metro Manila, in March. Photo: EPA

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr delivers his fifth State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Monday. Photo: Reuters

A video of Vice-President Sara Duterte is shown during proceedings for her impeachment trial at the Philippine Senate in Pasay City, Metro Manila on July 22. Photo: AFP

Is it all economic doom and gloom for the Philippines?

A vendor carries bottles of cooking oil to sell at a market in Quezon City, the Philippines, on July 7. Photo: EPA

A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

A vendor writes on a pad at her market stall in Quezon City on July 7. Inflation in the Philippines eased to 6.4 per cent in June. Photo: EPA

An attendant counts Philippine peso coins used for change at a petrol station in Quezon City in May. Analysts predict slower growth amid higher prices and interest rates in the coming months. Photo: EPA

News

Asia

East Asia

Southeast Asia

Japan’s housekeeping services market has been expanding as the number of dual-income households increases


Japan’s housekeeping services market has been expanding as the number of dual-income households increases.


The Philippines

Jobs

Tokyo

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

Filipino housekeepers mop up growing demand across Japan

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Japan’s housekeeping services market has been expanding as the number of dual-income households increases

Japan’s housekeeping services market has been expanding as the number of dual-income households increases