A single death in Jakarta this summer has incited a transnational movement. Thousands of miles from home, Indonesians in Japan are building networks of activism and art and opening new dialogues on politics and cultural identity.

Like most Indonesians living abroad, I first learned about Affan Kurniawan¡¯s death online. On Aug. 28, the 21-year-old motorcycle driver was killed by a police vehicle at a rally decrying an income raise for parliament members. What began as a demonstration against economic disparity in Indonesia exploded into a nationwide protest against police brutality and government neglect.

Having lived in Japan for seven years, I often reflect on what contributions I can make to my home country in times of turmoil. Turning a blind eye may be easy, but many choose to take the opposite tack.

For Taufik Hidayah, a 29-year-old from Medan, a city in northern Sumatra, the images of people protesting all over Indonesia motivated him to reach out to his peers at Hiroshima University. This gathering of Indonesian students birthed an online protest under the name Hiroshima Bergerak.

Bergerak, which means ¡°to take action¡± in Indonesian, is a term that has been used in many diaspora-led campaigns since the 2024 protests against election law amendments. It continues to serve as a banner for solidarity among Indonesians around the world as they gather online and offline to voice their political dissent.

In Hiroshima Bergerak¡¯s , students pose with a printed copy of the 17+8 Demands ¡ª an ultimatum to the government calling for the withdrawal of police and military forces in civilian spaces and long-term governmental reform and transparency. Those who didn¡¯t have a physical community nearby could still show their support by posing with a printed copy of the 17+8 Demands.

Hidayah, a doctoral student in the International Peace and Co-existence Program at Hiroshima University, is measured in his assessment of the campaign¡¯s efficacy. ¡°The point is to amplify,¡± he says. ¡°To show people (back home) that they are not alone.¡±

In Tokyo, third-year university student Mikaila Sutanto, 21, used social media to boost a fundraiser. Under the name Tokyo Bergerak, Sutanto and her friends collected ?155,646 (over $1,000) in eight days. The donations were funneled to on-the-ground paramedics, local NGOs and families of police brutality victims in Indonesia. To ensure transparency, a public spreadsheet was set up to monitor cash flow.

¡°(The fundraiser) was a small thing that my friends and I wanted to do because we just felt really helpless and wanted to make something tangible happen,¡± Sutanto says.

Hidayah and Sutanto both express their itch to participate in a demonstration or a much larger action, but there are practical limitations. The extensive...