JAKARTA - Japan’s recent political changes, including the appointment of Sanae Takaichi as Prime Minister, will not lessen the country’s reliance on migrant workers from Indonesia.

Indonesia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Chairman Anindya Novyan Bakrie said that Japan’s demand for foreign labour is structural and largely driven by demographic challenges.

“The need is indeed unavoidable because of demographic issues. Japan’s population, for example, is already ageing,” he said.

Anindya explained that Japan requires a large workforce in healthcare to support its growing elderly population.

He said Indonesia has many prospective workers seeking higher income who are ready to fill these roles.

“So I think it does not reduce their interest. In fact, especially in metropolitan cities, and also in developed countries, there is a huge demand for medical personnel,” he said.

He added that labour demand also extends to hospitality, leisure, and other sectors where manpower is needed.

He highlighted Indonesia’s potential to supply millions of workers who are currently employed in domestic labour-intensive industries.

Anindya suggested that directing Indonesian workers towards higher value-added sectors could increase remittances.

“For example, if they can focus on sectors with higher value, the numbers will increase further and generate very substantial remittances,” he said.