TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Ambassador to Japan and Micronesia Heri Akhmadi reported that the number of Indonesian nationals living in Japan may reach 100,000 by the end of 2022. “I believe that by the end of this year, [the number of] our people will be close to around 100,000,” said Heri in Tokyo, on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.

Before COVID-19, there were 67,000 Indonesians residing in Japan. The figure decreased to around 60,000 at the onset of the pandemic. The Japanese Immigration in June 2022 documented that there were 83,000 Indonesians. Of the figure, the number of interns or kenshusei increased to 44,000 from 34,000.

“This number is also surprising to me because previously, it was only 34,000-35,000 people, but now as of June, it has reached 44,000 people,” said Heri.

Meanwhile, the number of Indonesians categorized as specified skilled workers amounted to nearly 10,000 people.

On this basis, Heri asked Indonesians in Japan to help each other in reaching out to those in rural areas. “The Indonesian Embassy cannot work alone. The Indonesian Embassy must work together with our communities in the regions. Since I arrived, our focus in the second year is on consolidating Indonesian communities in Japan. It can be a religious community or communities based on regions, sports, arts, professional groups, as well as entrepreneurs,” he said.

Heri also said that the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo provides counseling and consulting services for the prevention and protection of citizens. “[We have established] close communication with the communities, and if something happens, we have prepared the SOP (standard operating procedure),” he added.

ANTARA

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