INDONESIA-JAPAN BILATERAL RELATIONS: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INDONESIA-JAPAN ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ON THE DEPLOYMENT AND ACCEPTANCE OF INDONESIAN MIGRANT WORKERS (NURSES) TO JAPAN IN 2008-2015

Abstract

Ratih Mei Safitri, International Relations 2014, President University Thesis Title: “Indonesia-Japan Bilateral Relations: The Implementation of Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement on the Deployment and Acceptance of Indonesian Migrant Workers (Nurses) to Japan in 2008-2015” Adviser: Drs. Teuku Rezasyah, M.A., Ph. D. Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) is a bilateral cooperation framework managed by Indonesia and Japan, one of which covers the movement of natural persons. From the results of the negotiations, Indonesia and Japan agreed to cooperate on the deployment and acceptance of Indonesian nurses to work in Japan. This agreement is formed due to Indonesia experiencing the surplus of health workers, especially nurses and the lack of job opportunities in Indonesia for nurses while Japan is facing the increasing of population aging so that Japan will require more nurses and care workers to meet the demand of Japan’s national interest. The deployment of Indonesian nurses to Japan through IJEPA has been implemented from 2008 and continues until now, but the study is limited until 2015 where this study uses qualitative methods and uses the concept of bilateral relations and national interests to explain Indonesia's relations with Japan and push and pull theory factors to analyze Indonesia’s utilization of IJEPA on the deployment of Indonesian nurses to Japan. The cooperation under movement of natural persons appears to be one of the solution to reduce the surplus of Indonesian nurses but not for a long term when the Indonesian nurses should return to Indonesia.