Ministry of Villages PDT Prepares Scholarships and Internships in Japan for Rural Youth
The Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT) is strengthening cooperation with Japan to send at least 30,000 rural youths for internships and scholarships. The programme was initiated through a collaboration with Exceed Cooperative Japan.
Minister of Villages PDT Yandri Susanto stated that the cooperation would be formalised through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Osaka, Japan. He expressed his gratitude to President Director of Exceed Cooperative Japan Watanabe Daisuke and Harada Tsubasa for the planned collaboration.
“I thank Mr. Watanabe Daisuke and Mr. Harada Tsubasa. We will sign the MoU in Osaka. Our initial target, based on their request, is a minimum of 30,000 participants. We will conduct mapping and detailing of this programme to ensure it runs smoothly. We will involve ten village associations to meet the quota requested by Exceed Cooperative Japan,” said Yandri Susanto in a written statement on Monday (3/8/2026).
During an audience with Exceed Cooperative Japan and the Hakko Fukushikai Foundation Japan at the Ministry’s office on Monday (3/8), Yandri assessed that this cooperation is mutually beneficial for both countries. Indonesia has a large potential human resource pool, while Japan requires additional workers due to its declining productive-age population.
Through this programme, rural youths will not only gain work opportunities and improve their competencies but will also be prepared to become village aggregators capable of developing the economic potential and development of their villages upon returning to Indonesia.
“We will sign the MoU for the Pemuda Bangun Desa Bangun Indonesia (Youth Build Villages, Build Indonesia) programme. We will send productive-age men and women to Japan under scholarship and internship schemes. After their internships, they will become village aggregators who understand how to advance their villages according to their local potential,” he added.
The recruitment and training of participants will begin soon, involving various parties. In addition to the ten village associations, the Association of State-Owned Banks (Himbara) and the Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDKMP) will also participate, including in arranging the departure logistics, which is planned for next year.
President Director of Exceed Cooperative Japan Watanabe Daisuke welcomed the planned cooperation, calling it a strategic step to address Japan’s growing labour needs as the productive-age population continues to decline.
“Over the past seven years, due to the declining productive-age population, we have increasingly needed workers, especially from Indonesia. During these seven years, we have sent many workers in the fields of healthcare, logistics, factories, and agriculture,” he said.
Accompanying Minister Yandri during the audience were Secretary General Taufik Madjid, Head of the Human Resources Development Agency Agustomi Masik, Head of the Infrastructure Development Agency Mulyadin, and Director General of Economic and Infrastructure Development Tabrani. The meeting will be followed by the signing of an MoU and a Cooperation Agreement in Osaka, Japan, to strengthen the regulatory framework for the bilateral partnership.