Joint Press Statement
on the Occasion of the entry into force of the Agreement between
Japan and the Republic of Indonesia for an Economic Partnership

Tokyo, 1 July 2008

1. Mindful that Year 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of Indonesia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia met on 1 July 2008 in Tokyo to hold the first meeting of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Indonesia for an Economic Partnership (hereinafter referred to as "the Agreement"). The Agreement was signed on 20 August 2007 in Jakarta by the Prime Minister of Japan and the President of the Republic of Indonesia, and entered into force today.
2. At its first meeting, the Joint Committee adopted the decisions necessary for the implementation of the Agreement, including the Operational Procedures referred to in Chapters 2 (Trade in Goods) and 3 (Rules of Origin) of the Agreement [PDF].
3. The Ministers reaffirmed their resolve to ensure the effective implementation of the Agreement. They shared the view that the Agreement will contribute to enhancing the cross-border flow of goods, services, investment and natural persons between the two countries. They also stressed the importance of bilateral capacity building cooperation in the fields of mutual interest including those of manufacturing industry, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. They believe that such bilateral cooperation will also contribute to the strengthening of business partnership between Japanese and Indonesian enterprises. They underscored that the Agreement will enable both countries to make the most of their economic complementarities and further promote the development of their respective economies.

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