President Jokowi, PM Kishida Talk on Indonesia-Japan Partnership

President Jokowi meets PM Kishida, in Hiroshima, Japan, Saturday (05/20)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (Jokowi) had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida at the Grand Prince Hotel, Hiroshima, Saturday (05/20).

President Jokowi expressed appreciation for the invitation from the Japanese Government to attend the G7 Summit in Hiroshima.

“Your Excellency, thank you for the invitation to the G7 Summit. Japan is an important and strategic partner to Indonesia. I agree to increase our partnership to make it broader and more concrete,” said the President.

During the meeting, the President also discussed a number of issues related to enhancing the partnership between the two countries, one of which was the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA). Indonesia hopes that negotiations regarding the IJEPA can be completed in September 2023.

“It’s been going on for a long time. The IJEPA includes removing tariffs on canned tuna products, expanding PMI’s work fields in the tourism and industrial sectors, and implementing capacity building,” said the President.

In addition, President Jokowi and PM Kishida also discussed trade relation between Indonesia and Japan. According to the President, Indonesia has provided flexibility for agricultural products from Fukushima.

“I asked for Japan’s flexibility regarding expanding access to Indonesian tropical fruits, including mangoes,” said the President.

As for investment, the President said that acceleration was needed regarding the completion of the mass rapid transit (MRT) development project in Indonesia. The President suggested the Japanese Government to carry out a direct appointment of a Japanese contractor for the project.

“Regarding the construction of Nusantara Capital, I welcome the signing of 5 Memorandums of Understanding with JICA, JBIC, JCODE, JIBH & UR,” he said.

Another issue discussed at the meeting was related to the energy transition. The President said that Indonesia is pushing for the acceleration of the realization of Japan’s commitment of US$500 million for low-carbon technology and the acceleration of the discontinuation of steam power plant (PLTU), as well as the implementation of business agreements by state-owned electricity company PLN, state-owned fertilizer company Pupuk Indonesia, state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, and Japanese partners as an effort to achieve net zero emissions.

Finally, regarding Myanmar, the President said that Japan needed support to send humanitarian state-owned aid through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center) and to implement ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) through participation in the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Infrastructure Forum. (BPMI SETPRES/UN) (EST/MMB)