Bekasi Mayor Visits South Korea and Japan to Sign Sister City Cooperation Agreements

Bekasi Mayor Tri Adhianto has undertaken an official trip abroad, visiting Seongnam City in South Korea and Izumisano City in Japan. The visit, which began on Wednesday (1 April 2026), aims to sign sister city cooperation agreements while opening opportunities for collaboration in various strategic sectors. Tri revealed that one of the main focuses of the cooperation with Izumisano City is to create opportunities for workers from Bekasi to work in Japan. “Especially in terms of language proficiency and certification,” Tri stated to the media when met at the Bekasi City Hall Plaza on Thursday (9 April 2026). As a follow-up to this cooperation, the Bekasi City Government (Pemkot) plans to open an English and Japanese language training programme. This programme will be held on weekends at the local government office to facilitate the public who wish to improve their competencies. “Yesterday I coordinated with KCD 3, hopefully next month we will open specific courses for English and Japanese, possibly held on Saturdays and Sundays at the government office,” Tri said. He added that language proficiency is a key factor for the public to obtain job opportunities abroad. Therefore, the government is also striving to create comfortable and accessible learning spaces. In addition to opening employment opportunities, this sister city cooperation also covers the development of smart city concepts through the digitalisation of public services. “If we want to advance, we must befriend those who are advanced,” he said. According to Tri, the technological advancements in Seongnam and Izumisano can serve as references for Bekasi, particularly in the fields of health and environmental management. He emphasised that the smart city concept must be oriented towards community needs.