Japan-Indonesia Summit Meeting

On April 29, commencing at 4:13 p.m. local time (6:13 p.m. Japan time) for approximately 90 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, who is currently visiting Indonesia, held a Japan-Indonesia Summit Meeting with H.E. Mr. Joko Widodo, President, the Republic of Indonesia, at the presidential palace. The overview of the meeting is as follows. The meeting was attended on the Japanese side by officials including Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary ISOZAKI Yoshihiko and Dr. MORI Masafumi, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, and on the Indonesian side by officials including Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung. A one-on-one meeting of the two leaders just with interpreters was held for the first 30 minutes of the summit. Alongside the summit, a welcoming ceremony, a tree planting ceremony, a joint press occasion and a dinner hosted by President Joko and his spouse were held.

1. Introduction

At the outset, President Joko expressed his intention to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries in close cooperation with Prime Minister Kishida. In response, Prime Minister Kishida stated that the two countries face many challenges, including the situations in Ukraine, the East and South China Seas and North Korea, and that it is even more important to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law. Prime Minister Kishida also expressed his firm opposition to any actions that threaten shared principles and his desire to further promote cooperation to realize a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

2. Bilateral relations

(1) President Joko stated that Japan is a strong partner in achieving peace and stability in the region and that he hopes to make steady progress in cooperation projects between the two countries in various fields, including trade, investment, infrastructure and the maritime and fisheries sectors. Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the opening of the car terminal at Patimban Port last December, and conveyed Japan's decision to provide an additional yen loan for the expansion of the port. Prime Minister Kishida also expressed Japan's intention to continue to cooperate in areas such as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, smart cities and the development of remote islands. Prime Minister Kishida also stated that Japan plans to launch a research for the provision of a patrol vessel to further support the improvement of maritime security and safety capabilities with a view to ensuring peace and stability in the region surrounding Indonesia, including the Sulu-Celebes Seas.

(2) President Joko stated that energy transition is one of the priorities of the G20 and that he hopes to further promote concrete cooperation between the two nations. In response, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his desire to work closely together to realize an "Asia Zero Emissions Community" vision and to support energy transition in accordance with the actual situation of each country. The two leaders also concurred on promoting cooperation in the energy sector, including the supply of coal and natural gas, with a view to enhancing the energy security of both nations.

(3) President Joko stated that he hopes to see Japan, the largest investor in Indonesia, make further investments in various fields such as automobiles and energy. In response, Prime Minister Kishida, while welcoming the launch of the public-private dialogue, stated that through the "ASIA-Japan Investing for the Future Initiative", Japan intends to help realize more resilient regional supply chains and solve social issues through the use of digital technology, as well as to make utmost efforts to contribute to the development of Indonesia's automotive industry.

(4) President Joko made a positive remark regarding the elimination of import restrictions on Japanese food products. Prime Minister Kishida expressed his gratitude and asked for continued support for the early elimination of the restrictions.

(5) The two leaders also exchanged views on strengthening cooperation to expand human exchange, including the improvement of proficiency in Japanese. Prime Minister Kishida conveyed Japan's plan to provide 30 billion yen in financial assistance loans for economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 stage.

3. Regional situations and cooperation in the international arena

(1) Regarding the situation in Ukraine, Prime Minister Kishida stated that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is a clear violation of international law and shakes the foundation of the international order, including that of Asia, and that he strongly condemns it. Recalling the U.N. General Assembly resolutions that both countries voted for, the two leaders affirmed that the military attack against Ukraine is intolerable and that the violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity by the use of force or threat and unilateral change of the status quo by force in any region are unacceptable. They also confirmed that they seek a peaceful resolution of the conflict on the basis of international law and that they oppose attacks on civilians and facilities in violation of international humanitarian law. The two leaders also affirmed their commitment to working together to resolve the situation through an immediate end to the use of force and dialogue and to respond to the impact on the global economy, primarily in the areas of food and energy. Furthermore, the two leaders concurred that both countries will work together to implement humanitarian assistance in order to improve humanitarian situations.

(2) Regarding regional situations, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his strong opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas. The two leaders confirmed that they will continue to cooperate in order to ensure free and open seas based on the rule of law. They also exchanged views on topics such as economic coercion and cyber-attacks, and concurred on promoting cooperation in the area of economic security. The two leaders also confirmed that they will continue to work together in dealing with North Korea, including responding to the nuclear and missile issues and the abductions issue, and concurred on cooperating in addressing various regional and international issues, including Myanmar, disarmament and non-proliferation, and the reform of the U.N. Security Council.

(3) Prime Minister Kishida also stated that this year's G20 slogan of "Recover together, recover stronger" and its priority areas of digital, energy transition and health are timely and that Japan will extend its utmost support to Indonesia as the G20 chair, and the two leaders confirmed their close cooperation to ensure the success of the G20.

(4) The two leaders shared the view to further develop the bilateral relations and ASEAN-Japan relations as next year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan friendship and cooperation.