By Tupou Vaipulu Jr.

Visiting Tonga yesterday, a team from Japan held an information session at the Tanoa Dateline Hotel, about a project that will provide job opportunities in Japan for Tongan youth that are seeking stable employment.

Three representatives from the private sector, included President of the Okinawa Pacific Partners, Ryunosuke Omae; Deputy General Manager for Narita Airport, UI Motoki and Overseas & Domestic Business Deputy Manager, Munetsugu Akitomo.

This project is similar to the Australia and New Zealand's annual migrant labour fruit picking program. The team is working toward providing job opportunities for youth and anyone who is interested in looking for employment in Japan, especially in areas such as aviation, builiding cleaning, automobile repair and maintenance, accommodation and food services and others.

The team said that the experience they will offer the workers in Japan will change lives and will also benefit Tonga's economy.

“We do hope that the Tonga people come to Japan for the new experience, spend five years in Japan and bring back all that experience back to Tonga and hopefully that will benefit a lot to Tonga,” they told Matangi Tonga.

Tonga is the second country that this project will be established in. So why Tonga? They said there were three many reasons:

1. Hospitality, Tongans are one of the most warm and hospitable people;
2. Tongans have acquired the basic education needed to do the job;
3. English, most Tongans can also speak and understand English, important in the aviation industry

The project, funded by JICA, will also be extending to Kiribas, after it is established in Tonga. So far, only three countries have come to their attention in the Pacific.

The team visited Tonga High School today and will also be visiting other schools, looking to invest on providing an efficient Japanese Language classes for selected schools in Tonga.