Japan Becomes Favourite Internship Destination, Manpower Minister Yassierli: Language Barrier Remains a Challenge

Bekasi, Kompas.com – The Minister of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, Yassierli, revealed that Japan has become the main destination country in the internship programme for Indonesian workers. Nevertheless, he stated that the language barrier remains the primary challenge. “For Japan, on average, nearly 20,000 participants in one year. The challenge is indeed the language,” Yassierli said when met at the Bekasi City Vocational Training and Productivity Centre (BBPVP), Wednesday (8/4/2026). “We want the best practices from Japan to serve as a reference in the future. For example, for Australia, Korea, Russia, several Middle Eastern countries, Taiwan, and so on,” Yassierli added. However, several field constraints still pose homework for the Ministry of Manpower to resolve immediately, especially regarding participants’ language abilities. “Later, how we at the centres can also make language training more effective,” he said. He added that strengthening language training is one of the government’s focuses so that internship participants are better prepared to compete and adapt in the destination countries. “And this has actually been instructed by the President,” he stated.