Thirty-six caregiver candidates from Indonesia and the Philippines passed the national care worker exam in January, becoming the first applicants to pass Japan's qualification exam among hundreds of recruits under economic partnership agreements, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Wednesday.

The pass rate was 37.9 percent, while that of Japanese applicants was 63.9 percent, the ministry said. A total of 94 Indonesians and one Filipino took the test. The 36 successful candidates can now stay in Japan indefinitely.

The 35 Indonesians and one Filipino who passed the test were among the first batch of foreign caregiver candidates who arrived in Japan in 2008 and in 2009. They have been working at nursing-care facilities across the nation while preparing for the test.