RRI.CO.ID, Tokyo – The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Tokyo has held its first-ever Mass Wedding Ceremony for Indonesian citizens (WNI) in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, as part of an initiative to make marriage registration services more accessible for Indonesians living far from Tokyo.

The event, held at Sapporo Mosque in Hokkaido on Sunday, July 19, 2026, was organized in collaboration with the Nahdlatul Ulama Special Branch Representative Council (MWCINU) Hokkaido, the Muhammadiyah Special Branch Leadership (PRIM) Hokkaido, the Ngaji Kuy Community, Sahabat Hokkaido Indonesia (SaHI), and the Sakura Muslimah Study Group.

A total of eight couples took part in the wedding ceremony, including two Indonesian-Indonesian couples and six mixed-nationality couples consisting of Indonesian and Japanese spouses. The ceremony was attended by Dara Yusilawati, Coordinator of the Consular Protocol Section at the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo; Takizawa, Honorary Vice Consul in Sapporo; KH Ahmad Musyaffa' Asady, Deputy Rois Syuriah of PCINU Japan; and Akhmad Jarot Mahardika, Chairman of MWCINU Hokkaido.

In a message delivered by Dara Yusilawati, Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Nurmala Kartini Sjahrir, encouraged the newlyweds to build families that are sakinah, mawaddah, and warahmah while maintaining harmony in their households.

"Continue to maintain harmony in your family, give your children abundant love and attention, and be role models as parents," Kartini said in a statement issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo and received in Jakarta on Monday, July 20, 2026.

According to the embassy, the Mass Wedding Ceremony is a proactive outreach program designed to assist Indonesian citizens living across Japan so they do not have to travel to Tokyo or return to Indonesia to conduct their marriage ceremony and obtain legally recognized marriage documents.

The embassy explained that for Muslim Indonesians in Japan, a marriage ceremony officiated by the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo or the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Osaka is required to obtain an official marriage certificate and register the marriage in Indonesia's Marriage Management Information System (SIMKAH). Similar programs are planned to be expanded to other cities across Japan as part of the embassy's commitment to improving services for Indonesian citizens.

In his wedding sermon, KH Ahmad Musyaffa' Asady reminded the couples that marriage is a sacred covenant that must be founded on the sincere intention of fulfilling Islamic teachings and guided by the values of piety throughout married life.

Before the wedding ceremony, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo also held a dialogue with the Indonesian community in Hokkaido. During the meeting, Dara Yusilawati urged Indonesians to look out for one another and provide support to fellow citizens facing problems or pressure in the workplace.

According to data from the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, the number of Indonesians living in Hokkaido reached 12,841 as of December 2025, an increase of nearly 4,000 from 8,711 in 2024. Most Indonesians in Hokkaido work under the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) and the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) program in the agriculture, livestock, construction, nursing, and caregiving sectors, while others are students at universities, including Hokkaido University.