RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The government is strengthening its efforts to improve the quality of human resources among Indonesian workers by offering internships and scholarships to Japan for at least 30,000 rural youth.

The Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Kemendes PDT) initiated this program in collaboration with Exceed Cooperative Japan. It is expected to provide participants with international skills and work experience that they can apply when they return to develop their villages.

Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, said that this collaboration is part of a strategy to increase the competitiveness of rural youth and prepare a workforce with competencies needed by global industry.

""I thank Mr. Watanabe and Mr. Harada. We will sign an MoU in Osaka with a target of at least 30,000 requests. We will conduct a mapping and then detail the program to ensure its success. We will involve ten village associations to meet the Exceed Cooperative Japan quota," said Minister Yandri on Monday, August 3, 2026, as quoted on the ministry's official website

The Minister said that when received representatives from Exceed Cooperative Japan and the Hakko Fukushikai Foundation Japan at the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Office. He said that the internship and scholarship program is designed to meet labor needs in Japan and to develop superior human resources who can drive village development when they return to Indonesia.

"We will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the Youth Build Villages Build Indonesia program. We will send productive-age men and women to Japan on scholarships and internships. After completing the program, they will become village aggregators. Upon their return, they will be young people who know how to advance their villages based on their potential," he said.

He explained that Indonesia has significant human resource potential while Japan needs additional workers due to its decreasing number of working-age residents. This situation is seen as an opportunity to improve the competency of Indonesian workers through work experience abroad.

The Ministry will begin recruiting and training participants immediately, in collaboration with ten village associations. The Association of State-Owned Banks (Himbara) and the Red and White Village Cooperative (KDMP) will support program implementation by providing accommodations for participants, who are expected to begin departing next year.

Exceed Cooperative Japan President and Director Watanabe Daisuke welcomed the collaboration. He said that Japan's need for workers has increased in recent years, making Indonesia a strategic partner in meeting this need.

"For the past seven years, due to the declining productive age, we have needed workers, especially from Indonesia. Over the past seven years, we have sent many workers to the healthcare, logistics, construction, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors," said Watanabe.

The collaboration will be followed up with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a cooperation agreement (PKS) in Osaka, Japan. The government hopes that this program will improve the quality of Indonesian human resources and encourage young villagers with international experience to accelerate economic development in their home regions. ***