Muhammad Reza Rustam is a scholar and academic at the Graduate school of Sustainable Development (GSSD), Universitas Indonesia, specializing in Japanese Studies, migration, labor, and cultural analysis. He earned master’s degrees in Japanese Area Studies from Universitas Indonesia (2013) and Hiroshima University (2016), and a doctoral degree in Humanities Studies from Hiroshima University (2023). His research focuses on Indonesian workers in Japan especially trainees, spesific skill workers and labor dynamics in Japan, as well as language, mobility, and socio-cultural interactions within the Japan–Southeast Asia context. He is actively involved in academic publications and research collaborations, and currently serves as Vice Director for Finance, Resources, and Cooperation at GSSD Universitas Indonesia.