KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 17 Japanese and Nepali organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding to train and recruit Nepali drivers for Japan's automobile transportation sector, opening a new potential pathway for Nepali workers under Japan's Specified Skilled Worker programme. The agreement, signed in Kathmandu on Wednesday, covers the recruitment and pre-departure training of Nepali drivers for truck, bus and taxi jobs in Japan. Japan opened its automobile transportation sector to foreign workers through a Cabinet decision in 2024. However, Nepal has so far sent almost no workers to Japan under this category. Under the new arrangement, Nepali candidates with valid driving licences will undergo Japanese language, technical and Japanese-style driving training in Nepal before travelling to Japan. Candidates will have to pass a Japanese language test and a skills evaluation test and obtain a Japanese driving licence to qualify for the required status of residence. Three Nepali organisations will handle different components of the programme. Mother Brain Nepal Pvt. Ltd. will serve as the recruitment agency, Yukiguni Education Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. will provide Japanese language training, and Antique Driving Centre will conduct driving instruction. The memorandum was signed for the Japanese side by Shiro Sogawa, chairman of the International Driving Education Association of Japan. Krishna Giri, chairman of Mother Brain Nepal, Rajkumar Tamang, chief executive officer of Yukiguni Education Consultancy, and Saroj Songamikha of Antique Driving Centre signed on behalf of the Nepali organisations. The International Driving Education Association of Japan certifies Japanese-style driver training conducted outside Japan. The organisers said the programme would allow candidates to complete key training requirements in Nepal before departure, potentially reducing the need for applicants to undertake preparatory training after reaching Japan. 'Candidates will not be charged a recruitment service fee,' Krishna Giri, Chair of the Mother Brain Nepal, said, adding that the programme would be implemented in accordance with Nepal's Foreign Employment Act, 2064, and under the direction of the Department of Foreign Employment. The organisations have not yet announced the number of drivers to be recruited or when the first batch will be deployed. They said the details would be made public after training arrangements are completed and the necessary government approvals are obtained. The agreement comes as Japan expands opportunities for foreign workers in sectors facing labour shortages, while Nepal continues to explore additional destinations and employment categories for its migrant workforce.