Introduction 

Japan’s ageing population is no longer a demographic projection it is a labour market reality unfolding in real time, with 36 million people now over 65. In a byline for Entrepreneur India, BorderPlus CEO and co-founder Mayank Kumar argues that this shortage is creating one of the most predictable labour opportunities of the next two decades and that India is not yet positioned to capture it. 

The Rise of ‘Care Capital’ 

Kumar’s central argument is that ageing has stopped being a social-service problem and become a strategic economic constraint. By fiscal 2026, Japan is expected to face a shortage of 250,000 caregivers, widening to 570,000 by 2040. Economies that once competed for oil, ports and data centres will increasingly compete for nurses, caregivers, and geriatric-care talent. Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker programme has already begun drawing workers from Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar and Nepal new corridors that show how quickly ageing economies are moving to secure trained care talent, a shift BorderPlus is positioning its own Japan programme around. 

Why India’s Opportunity Isn’t Automatic 

Kumar draws a deliberate parallel to India’s IT rise, but cautions it only holds up to a point: software travelled remotely, while care requires physical presence, licensing, language proficiency and trust built over time. He argues the real opportunity for India is not to export workers, but to export workforce readiness and identifies three gaps that still need closing: language readiness tied to real workplace practice rather than classroom vocabulary, cultural readiness around hierarchy and communication norms, and skill readiness in certifications that are portable and trusted by employers. You can read more on how India and Japan are building the next chapter of skills and workforce mobility together. 

Impact 

Kumar points to the India-Japan Action Plan announced in August 2025, and the momentum from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s July 2026 visit to India, as signs that policy architecture is finally beginning to match the scale of the opportunity. His conclusion: if India closes its remaining gaps in language, culture and skills, it will not simply be sending workers abroad it will be exporting a new category of workforce readiness, positioning itself as the care capital of the ageing world.