RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is seeking to strengthen its labor partnership with Japan by expanding opportunities for skilled workers while improving workforce quality through education and international training programs.

The initiative was discussed during a bilateral meeting between Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar and Japanese Justice Minister Hiraguchi Hiroshi.

The two sides focused on accelerating the completion of the Employment Skill Development Program (ESDP) Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) and extending the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) MoC, which serves as the legal framework for labor cooperation between Indonesia and Japan.

Indonesia also proposed a clearer and more transparent transition mechanism for participants moving from the ESDP program into the SSW scheme, providing greater career certainty for Indonesian workers seeking to advance their employment in Japan.

He introduced the SMK Go Global program, a government initiative designed to prepare vocational school graduates with skills that meet international labor market demands, including those in Japan.

According to him, strengthening competencies from the education stage is essential to ensure Indonesian youth are ready not only to work but also to fill the demand for skilled workers abroad.

"This cooperation is not merely about opening employment opportunities overseas, but also about building Indonesian human resources who are competent, protected, and able to compete globally," Minister Muhaimin said in a statement on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Indonesia also requested Japan to consider visa fee facilitation for Indonesian migrant workers departing through official channels, helping reduce placement costs and encouraging more workers to choose legal, safe, and protected migration pathways.

The government further encouraged expanding SSW testing centers, particularly in regions with the largest number of prospective migrant workers, to improve access to competency certification required for employment in Japan.

He emphasized that the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment will continue strengthening coordination across ministries and institutions to ensure international cooperation delivers tangible benefits for Indonesians.

"What we want to build is not only access to overseas employment, but an empowerment ecosystem that produces Indonesian workers who are skilled, protected, competitive, and capable of improving their families' welfare," he concluded. ***