Tokyo, March 17, 2019 -- Umar Hamdan and Asriyadi Cahyadi may still remember the struggle of Indonesian interns in Japan, even though they are now successful entrepreneurs. The story of their struggle was shared with Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) in Japan. The sharing of life experiences was conducted during the “We Are with BNI” program, an entrepreneurship education program for Indonesian migrant workers, both those actively working abroad and those who have retired and returned to Indonesia.
The one-day seminar held in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday (March 17, 2019) was opened by BNI Tokyo general manager Ario Bimo. In addition to Umar Hamdan and Asriyadi Cahyadi as speakers, the seminar was also attended by around 100 Indonesian migrant workers living in the Shiga and surrounding areas.
Umar Hamdan is now successful as president director of PT Denki Engineering and commissioner of PT Techno Ryowa Engineering (Ryowa Techno Subsidiary Ltd. Japan). Umar is an Indonesian citizen who successfully built a business in Indonesia after completing his tenure in Japan.
Starting his work as an intern in Japan, Umar saw an opportunity to develop a similar business in Indonesia. Capitalizing on his experience during his internship and his ability to speak Japanese, Umar pioneered his business to eventually be entrusted with working on the electrical system in the MRT project in Jakarta.
Meanwhile, Asriyadi Cahyadi is currently the chairman of IKAPEKSI Osaka and the owner of Miyako Setsubi Kogyou. Asriyadi is an Indonesian citizen who established successful PVC forming and welding businesses in Osaka.
Starting from working as an intern in Japan, Asriyadi saw an opportunity to develop a business. Capitalizing on his internship experience and his ability to speak Japanese, Asriyadi pioneered his business and was eventually entrusted with working on a dirty air suction system for an aircraft wing manufacturing plant.
BNI Tokyo held this entrepreneurship seminar again to provide the participants with independence in managing their finances and creating jobs after returning to Indonesia.
Micro loan opportunities
The Indonesian migrant workers attending the seminar also received information about entrepreneurship and business management through the Micro Credit Program for Indonesian Migrant Workers (KUR PMI), which was also provided by BNI. Through this explanation, the Indonesian migrant workers got broader insights into the attitude of an entrepreneur, as well as how to manage the business in accordance with their choice of entrepreneurship field.
As of February 2019, BNI has channeled micro credit to more than 15,000 Indonesian migrant workers since 2015, with the value of micro credit reaching Rp 284.29 billion. Micro credit for Indonesian migrant workers has been channeled to four countries, namely Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore.
BNI Tokyo GM Ario Bimo said the “We Are with BNI” program was aimed at reaching out to Indonesian workers or citizens residing abroad, especially in countries where BNI has branches. The number of Indonesian citizens in Japan is approximately 45,000 and most of them will return to Indonesia.
“As an Indonesian state-owned bank currently operating in Japan, BNI Tokyo actively shares information on entrepreneurship with Indonesian workers in Japan so that when they return to Indonesia they are able to create jobs and contribute to the improvement of the Indonesian economy," he said.
About BNI Tokyo
BNI Tokyo began operations as a Representative Office on Dec. 1, 1959, and in 1969 the Tokyo Representative Office's status was upgraded to Branch Office. With the change in status to Branch Office, BNI Tokyo can provide banking services and products.
BNI Tokyo strives to support the development of economic relations between Japan and Indonesia with a government-to-government (G-to-G) scheme. However, BNI Tokyo currently operates like other commercial banks. BNI Tokyo plays a role as part of BNI's international network in providing comprehensive services to customers.