Like the other Indonesian welfare workers who arrived Thursday in Japan to work under a bilateral accord, nurse Erli Ridwan, 35, hopes to pass the qualifying test to stay in the country and provide care.
Ridwan is well-aware of the still-lingering reluctance of the Japanese government to accept long-term foreign workers, particularly those categorized as unskilled.
"We are the pioneers. We'd like to change (the situation)," said Ridwan, who, accompanied by Indonesian Ambassador to Japan H. Jusuf Anwar, spoke at a news conference Friday at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo.