KP2MI and Miyazaki Prefecture Japan Support Acceleration of MoU for PMI Placement
Minister Mukhtarudin emphasised that under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, the Ministry of Manpower and Migrant Workers (KP2MI) is the sole authority focusing on two main mandates: enhancing protection and improving the quality of human resources (HR) for migrant workers.
“In line with President Prabowo’s directives, we are committed to improving protection before, during, and after placement. Additionally, we are focusing on enhancing the quality of migrant workers so they can fill formal job vacancies or skilled worker positions in the global market,” Mukhtarudin stated in a written release on Tuesday (12/5/2026).
Mukhtarudin explained that Indonesia possesses significant capital in the form of a demographic bonus. By 2025, Indonesia’s productive-age population will reach 183 million people, projected to surge to 207 million in the following period.
To optimise this potential, the Prabowo Subianto administration is preparing an upstream ecosystem through collaboration with 12 ministries/institutions and universities to produce workers with global competency standards.
Miyazaki: Significant Potential for the Formal Sector
In this meeting, Mukhtarudin welcomed job opportunities in Miyazaki Prefecture, which is projected to need thousands of workers in strategic sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare (caregivers), and hospitality (hotels).
Based on data from the Sisko-P2MI system, from January 2025 to 8 May 2026, there have been 30,835 placements in Japan overall, with 105 of them specifically in Miyazaki Prefecture.
Towards a Strategic Agreement (MoU)
As a follow-up to this meeting, both parties are drafting a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that includes promoting Japanese language and culture education, establishing consultation centres, information sharing systems, and periodic monitoring and evaluation of cooperation.
“We hope this MoU can be realised soon and followed by a concrete Plan of Action. Currently, the government is preparing 500,000 skilled workers through an upskilling programme from 2026 to 2029,” Mukhtarudin said.
Mukhtarudin hopes that cooperation with Miyazaki Prefecture can serve as a role model or best practice that can be replicated with other prefectures in Japan. This aims to strengthen sustainable labour relations between the two countries.
Positive Response from the Miyazaki Government
Meanwhile, Governor of Miyazaki Prefecture, Kohno Shunji, appreciated the reception from the Ministry of P2MI. On his delegation’s first visit to Indonesia, he expressed being impressed by Indonesia’s economic dynamics and the vast potential of its human resources.
Kohno explained that Miyazaki is currently facing serious demographic challenges in the form of aggressive population decline. This directly impacts the availability of workers in various public services and industries in Japan.
“Our current population is around 1 million people, with 10,000 foreign residents, of which 3,000 are Indonesian nationals. We hope to receive more workers from Indonesia in the future to support our regional development,” Kohno stated.
Commitment to Accelerating Cooperation
Regarding the proposal for formal cooperation, Kohno welcomed the plan to sign the MoU proposed by Mukhtarudin. He hopes the agreement can be finalised soon to provide legal certainty and comfort for migrant workers.
“I personally am very pleased to hear this MoU proposal and want the process to proceed as quickly as possible. This is a very important initial step to strengthen human resource exchanges between Indonesia and Japan,” added Kohno.
For information, the Japanese delegation was led directly by Governor of Miyazaki Prefecture, Kohno Shunji, accompanied by Deputy Chairman of the Miyazaki DPRD, Yamashita Kotobuki, and Chairman of the Miyazaki Chamber of Commerce and Industry Federation, Mera Mitsunori.
Meanwhile, Minister Mukhtarudin was accompanied by Dwi Setiawan Susanto (Director General of Promotion), Ahnas (Director General of Placement), Rinardi (Director General of Protection), and Moh. Fachri (Director General of Empowerment).
The meeting concluded with commitments from both parties to promptly follow up on the discussion points with concrete actions. Through synergy between the Indonesian government’s grand vision to produce 500,000 skilled workers and Miyazaki Prefecture’s urgent need for quality human resources.
This collaboration is also expected not only to solve labour challenges in Japan but also to serve as a catalyst for improving welfare and global competencies for Indonesian migrant workers.
The implementation of the forthcoming MoU is projected to become a new standard in mutually beneficial and sustainable labour relations between Indonesia and Japan.
Representatives from the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo and the Directorate of East Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the meeting virtually.