Eleven international students from Thailand and Myanmar arrived in Sendai on March 20, after being connected by the city to local care facilities to help address staffing shortages amid Japan's aging society. The students will study at a Japanese language school for a year, then enter a specialized program to take the caregiver exam, with the aim of becoming full-time staff at facilities arranged by the city once they pass. The number of foreign workers in Miyagi Prefecture reached a record 22,034 as of last October.