Indonesian Man to Be First Bus Driver Under Japan's SSW Visa Program

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An Indonesian man, Iyus, will be the first foreign bus driver under ’s specified skilled worker status, NHK reported. The Japanese government has added the road transport sector to the qualification category.

The forty-year-old man is set to become a sightseeing bus driver in the next fiscal year starting in April for a Tokyo-based company.

Citing the official website for Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the East Asian country has established a new status of residence in 2019, under ‘Specified Skilled Worker (SSW)’ to “welcome capable specialists from overseas countries” to work in a total of 16 industrial fields in Japan.

Japan has long recorded labor shortages among its industries.

In early 2024, Kyodo News reported that the Japanese government added the automobile transport workers, which include bus drivers, to the list of eligible SSW visa holders. The first eligibility test was conducted in December last year.

Iyus is the only person to pass the bus field test.

When interviewed by reporters on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at the headquarters of the company group in Okayama, Iyus said, "It is like a dream come true that I can become a professional driver. I want to drive safely to provide a comfortable service to our customers."

The head of the bus and rail unit at Ryobi Group, Ogami Shinji, expressed his hope. "Iyus will provide a service that meets the needs of international tourists as Japan sees a surge in the number of overseas visitors," said Shinji, as quoted from NHK.

NHK | KYODO NEWS | MOFA.GO.JP

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