JAKARTA -- Indonesia says it plans to send 100,000 workers to Japan over the next five years, helping Tokyo ease a pressing labor shortage as the population of the world's No. 3 economy ages.

The Southeast Asian nation's manpower ministry and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held their first joint human resources forum in Jakarta on Nov. 28, drawing over 200 attendees including Indonesian government officials and representatives from Japanese industries ranging from the auto sector to tourism and nursing care.