Japan-Indonesia Relations
Japan-Indonesia Summit Telephone Talk
November 18, 2021
On November 18, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, held a summit telephone talk with His Excellency Joko Widodo, President of the Republic ofIndonesia, for about 15 minutes from 6:45 p.m. The overview of the talk is as follows:
- At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his intention to forge close ties with President Joko. In response, President Joko conveyed a message of congratulations on Mr. Kishida’s appointment as Prime Minister and his intention to further strengthen thecooperation with Japan.
- Prime Minister Kishida conveyed his intention to advance concrete cooperation toward the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and the “ASEAN Outlook for the Indo-Pacific,” including in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and their surrounding areas. Furthermore, Prime Minister Kishida expressed that Japan will coordinate with Indonesia including in such fields as infrastructuredevelopment, human resource development, maritime security and response to COVID-19. In response, President Joko expressed his intention to further strengthen bilateral coordination between the two countries.
- The two leaders also exchanged views on regional affairs, and Prime Minister Kishida expressed his strong opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas. The two leaders also exchanged views on North Korea, and Prime Minister Kishida asked for understanding and cooperation from President Joko on the abductions issue.
- Prime Minister Kishida shared his intention to support ASEAN’s initiatives regarding Myanmar.
- Indonesia is to hold the G20 presidency in 2022 as well as the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023, which will mark the 50th anniversary of Japan-ASEAN Friendship and Cooperation. In this regard, the two leaders confirmed that they will continue to closely work together.