I believe the number will be close to 100 thousand at the end of this year.Tokyo (ANTARA) - The number of Indonesian citizens living in Japan is expected to touch 100 thousand by the end of 2022, Indonesian Ambassador to Japan and Micronesia Federation Heri Akhmadi has said.
"I believe the number will be close to 100 thousand at the end of this year," he informed here on Wednesday.
Nearly 67 thousand Indonesians lived in Japan before the COVID-19 pandemic and their number fell to 60 thousand at the onset of the pandemic.
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However, based on a Japanese immigration report, the number of Indonesians living in Japan reached 83 thousand in June 2022, with the number of apprentices recorded at 44 thousand compared to 34 thousand earlier.
"To me, the number is amazing because it only reached 35 thousand to 35 thousand earlier. It was not until June the number has reached 44 thousand," Akhmadi said.
Meanwhile, the number of Indonesian workers with specified skills employed in Japan has reached almost 10 thousand.
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He then appealed to the Indonesian communities in Japan to help each other connect with Indonesians living in different regions of the county.
"It is impossible for the Indonesian Embassy to handle them alone. The embassy must cooperate with our communities in the regions. Since I took office, our focus in the first year of my assignment has been to consolidate the Indonesian communities in Japan," he said.
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Translator: Juwita TR, Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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