Japan-Indonesia Relations

On November 12, commencing at 6:00 p.m. (local time, 7 p.m. Japan time) for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, who is visiting Manila, the Philippines to attend the ASEAN-related summit meetings, held a summit meeting there with H.E. Mr. Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia. The overview of the meeting is as follows. Attending the meeting on the Japanese side were Mr. Kotaro Nogami, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, and others. Attending the meeting on the Indonesian side were H. E. Ms. Retno L.P. Marsudi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and others.

1. In his opening remarks, President Joko congratulated Prime Minister Abe on his victory in the recent House of Representatives general election and his reappointment as Prime Minister, expressed his pleasure at meeting again for the first time since January, and stated that the economic relationship was seeing particular progress under Prime Minister Abe’s leadership and that he had requested on the occasion of former Prime Minister Fukuda’s visit in October that the cooperation projects regarding infrastructure be swiftly moved forward. In addition, President Joko expressed his interest in continuing cooperation on the Patimban Port project, accelerating the operating speed of the northern Java railway, the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project, the Trans-Sumatran Highway, and in the energy sector.
2. In response, Prime Minister Abe reiterated his gratitude for the welcome that he had received at the Bogor Palace in January, expressed his gratitude for President Joko’s congratulations for the victory in the House of Representatives election, and announced jointly with President Joko the logo to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Indonesia, for which the design by an Indonesian high school student was chosen. Also, he stated his hope to maximize enthusiasm for the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in the coming year through high-level exchanges.
3. In addition, Prime Minister Abe welcomed the efforts by the two countries regarding cooperation concerning the development of outer islands, and stated that the Government of Japan had just decided to provide financing from JICA (yen loans) for the Patimban Port Development Project and the Development of World Class University with Socio-Entrepreneurial Spirit at Gadjah Mada University. Furthermore, he expressed his hope to closely cooperate to swiftly implement bilateral cooperation projects such as the MRT project, accelerate the operating speed of the northern Java railway, the Jakarta sewage development project, and energy projects, and also stated that cooperation with the Indonesian National Coast Guard (BAKAMLA) to enhance its maritime law enforcement capability would be starting soon. He also expressed his intention to support toward the success of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF to be held next year in October in Bali.
4. In response, President Joko expressed his hope to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Indonesia and in particular to commemorate the event through progress in the infrastructure projects with Japan throughout the 60th anniversary year, and expressed his gratitude for the Japanese support for the security system for the Asian Games in 2018 and the desire to use it for the success of the event. In response, Prime Minister Abe expressed his intention to cooperate regarding the 2018 Asian Games and to move forward with cooperation on infrastructure projects with a view to the coming 60th anniversary year.
5. In addition, the two heads of state exchanged views on the regional state of affairs including the South China Sea issue and the North Korea issue, and agreed to continue to collaborate closely going forward. Regarding the North Korea issue in particular, Prime Minister Abe expressed his intention to issue a powerful message from the upcoming ASEAN-related summit meetings to maximize pressure on North Korea. President Joko stated that Indonesia also has concerns over the nuclear and missile development by North Korea and intends to respond resolutely to missile launches and to strictly implement the UN Security Council resolutions, among other statements. Prime Minister Abe also requested understanding and cooperation on the abduction issue.