population growth is extremely low and forecasted to be
negative in the future. Japan is also the world’s most rapidly
ageing society. Labor shortages are evident in elderly
care in Japan. Calls continue to recruit foreign workers to
address the shortage of low-paid, low-skilled home healthcare
helpers [8]. The provision of care to the elderly has
also been affected by the increased participation of women
in the workforce. By 1998, more than 50 % of working-age
women in Japan were employed. As women are often the
carers of elderly parents, women are finding it increasingly
difficult to both participate in the labor market and provide
in-home care for elderly family members.