VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fishery (KKP) and Japan's Miyagi Prefecture explored cooperation in the development of maritime and fishery human resources, with a special focus on the preparations of specified skilled workers (SSWs).

Head of KKP Ministry's Extension and Human Resources Development Agency (BPPSDM), I Nyoman Radiarta, noted in a press release on Tuesday that Indonesia and Japan, especially its Miyagi prefecture, have shared similar characteristics in their fishery sectors.

The statement was released after the visit of Governor of Miyagi Prefecture Yoshihiro Murai to the central office of KKP Ministry's BPPSDM in Jakarta on the same day.

"The similarities can drive Indonesia and Miyagi Prefecture to establish cooperation in workforce exchange in a bid to help Japan maintain its fishery industry and support the development of Indonesia's fishery human resources," he remarked.

The same factor has been appealing to Japan to name Indonesia as one of the countries in ASEAN, from which it supplies SSWs to its fishery sector.

Radiartha then noted that Japan has a high demand for Indonesian SSWs, and for that reason, the ministry is striving to keep track of the workers' whereabouts, condition, welfare, and legal protection during their stay in Japan.

During the governor's visit, Radiarta proposed cooperation in helping Indonesian workers fulfill requirements to become SSWs by organizing Japanese language and culture training courses as well as sending Indonesians to enroll in apprenticeship programs in Japanese companies.

Furthermore, he pushed for the implementation of the Summer School program involving the exchange of students, lecturers, and educational professionals of both countries.

Meanwhile, Governor Murai, for his part, welcomed the proposals, saying that Japan needed Indonesian workers to work in its fishery sector.

"Currently, most apprentices in Japan come from Vietnam and Indonesia, with almost equal numbers. Hopefully, the number of Indonesian apprentices will exceed that of Vietnam in the future," he pointed out.

To that end, the governor expressed interest in partnering with the ministry by encouraging both parties to immediately sign a cooperation agreement.

Kazuyoshi Hatakeyama, member of the Miyagi Regional Parliament, affirmed that Japan possessed advanced technology in the fishery sector though lacked in terms of the number of productive workforce.

On the other side, he noted that Indonesia wields a vast number of fishery human resources.

Hence, he expressed optimism that Indonesian workers would work in Japan's fishery sector, especially in the Miyagi Prefecture. (Antaranews)