Indonesia sends a large number of Specified Skilled Worker candidates to Japan, and the process runs partly through official Indonesian placement systems as well as the Japanese requirements.
Rules change on both sides. Confirm with BP2MI, the Ministry of Manpower, the Japanese embassy and the official Japanese bodies before acting.
The steps
1. Language test. JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 or above. JFT-Basic is held regularly in Indonesia: JFT-Basic in Indonesia and how to register.
2. Sector skills test for your field: the skills test explained. Decide your sector before this step: the sectors list.
3. Registration in the official system. Indonesian placement of migrant workers is administered through government systems and licensed placement companies. Using the official channel protects you and is generally required.
4. Employer and contract. Read the contract before signing: reading an SSW contract.
5. Certificate of Eligibility, applied for by your employer in Japan: Certificate of Eligibility explained.
6. Visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate.
7. Departure, registration in Japan, and work. Your first month of Japanese at work.
The order that saves time
Start the language test immediately, whatever else is unresolved. It is the requirement that:
- takes the longest to satisfy,
- is entirely within your control, and
- gates everything else.
Candidates who wait for a placement company to organise their lives first typically lose three to six months.
What to check about any placement company
- That it is licensed, and that you can verify the licence independently.
- Every fee, in writing, before you pay anything.
- That nobody holds your passport. Ever.
- That the contract names the actual Japanese employer, with an address.
Agency red flags covers the rest.
Sector choice matters more than people think
The skills test is field-specific, and so is the work you will do for years. Indonesian candidates most commonly enter care, food manufacturing, agriculture and construction, but the field list is broader than that:
Start with a measurement
The language test is the first gate and the one you can act on today. Sit our free exam demo - a complete 48-question JFT-Basic mock on a 60-minute clock - to see where you stand. The practice test explains every answer in Indonesian.