Although Indonesia has abundant resources to produce renewable energy (RE) from municipal solid waste (MSW), the implementation of waste to energy (WtE) concept remains low due to several factors. Approximately, 200,000 tons of MSW per day are generated in Indonesia. Improper waste management system in Indonesia is not only causing environmental problems but also inhibiting to get benefits from RE production. This study which was funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was conducted to obtain a comparative description of WtE implementation between Japan and Indonesia as well as to formulate possible strategies for improving WtE implementation in Indonesia. Direct observations and a series of qualitative depth interviews with stakeholders were conducted both in Japan and Indonesia. This study revealed that the two countries have a different approach of WtE implementation. The implementation of WtE in Japan mostly relies on thermal treatment as a form of intermediate treatment of MSW to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill as well as to increase the life span of landfill. In Indonesia, WtE implementation mostly uses the biological treatment (anaerobic digestion) as a part of final treatment of MSW in landfill. Conducting integrated waste and energy management system is one of best practices from Japan that can be learned and applied in Indonesia to improve the implementation of WtE.Index Terms-Incineration, landfill gas, municipal solid waste, waste to energy. Jatmiko Wahyudi graduated from Chemical Engineering Department, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia, and got the master degrees in environmental and energy management from the University of Twente, the Netherlands. His major fields of research are the waste management, greenhouse gas and waste to energy. He works for Regional Development Planning Agency, Pati, Central Java Province, Indonesia as a researcher.Mayang Rahmi Novitasari graduated from Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia and got the master degrees in urban and regional planning from same university. Her major fields of research are the renewable energy development, green economy, and urban planning. She is a planner in National Development Planning Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia.