KARANGANYAR, Central Java — The body of Heru Santoso, a 24-year-old Indonesian migrant worker who died in Japan, was repatriated to his hometown in Karanganyar, Central Java, and buried on Friday.
Heru was reported to have drowned while visiting a river in Japan on Aug. 13, 2026. His body arrived at Adi Soemarmo Airport in Solo before being taken to his family's home in Gayamdompo, Karanganyar.
Karanganyar Regent Rober Christanto and local manpower official Agung Wahyu Utomo were among those who received the body at the airport.
Heru's body was taken to a nearby mosque for prayers before being buried at the Mojoloyo public cemetery in Gayamdompo at around 2 p.m. local time.
Agung said the company where Heru worked had covered all costs associated with repatriating his body from Japan to his family home.
"All costs of repatriating the body from Japan to the family home were fully covered by the company where he worked," Agung said.
He said local authorities had also ensured that Heru's outstanding employment-related entitlements, including unpaid wages and employment insurance benefits, had been settled. His personal belongings left in Japan had also been returned to his family.
Heru had worked for nearly three years at a construction company in Japan after initially leaving Indonesia through an internship program facilitated by LPK Hiro Karanganyar.
Local authorities accompanied the repatriation process and the burial, officials said. (Janne Sinten)
