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KOMPAS.com – Indonesia and Japan ministers held a four-way meeting on economic and security issues in Tokyo recently.

In attendance were Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Indonesia’s Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, Japan’s Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, and Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.

In other news, Indonesia hopes to welcome back vaccinated foreign tourists by the middle of this year, to be precise around June to July, the month when travel restrictions may be lifted.

Below are excerpts from the stories in Indonesia, curated by Kompas.com editors:

Indonesian Ministers Discuss Security, Economic Issues in Tokyo Meet

Indonesia and Japan discussed a series of issues ranging from tensions with China, the Myanmar crisis to economic loans in Tokyo on Monday.

The meetings took place during the visit of Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to Japan.

During the meeting with her Japanese counterpart Motegi Toshimitsu, Retno expressed her thoughts about China’s use of force to unilaterally change the status quo in the Asia-Pacific region.

“[Foreign Minister Motegi] conveyed his concerns about China, particularly Beijing’s Coast Guard Law and heightened tensions in East China and South China Seas,” a statement issued by the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta said on Monday.

Retno also conveyed Indonesia and other ASEAN members' attempts to resolve tensions there, after the country's military overthrew democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government last February.

Motegi condemned the Myanmar military junta’s violent crackdown on protests, which killed hundreds of people.

However, he hailed ASEAN’s attempts to resolve the Myanmar crisis peacefully, notably Indonesia’s leading part of his respect for Indonesia’s leadership role in reaching this goal.

Retno and Motegi also “pledged to uphold a free and transparent international order based on the supremacy of law, so as to maintain peace, stability, and prosperity for the international community that [both countries] can adhere to.”

Bilaterally, Motegi announced that Japan will aid Indonesia by providing a cold chain supply scheme worth 400 million yen ($3.61 million) to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as bringing into existence a resilient, multi-tiered economic chain.

“Among the deals that are struck included are 70 million yen ($632,068) in aid to help build infrastructure in the deepwater port in Patimban [West Java] to bring about a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific [region]” and a further improved ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific region.”

However, Motegi urged the Indonesian government to revoke limits on Japanese food exports to Indonesia.

He also conveyed his condolences over the Makassar Cathedral suicide bombing which killed both bombers and wounded at least 20 others.

Meanwhile, Indonesia and Japan are expected to strike deals on defense systems and transfer technology soon. Prabowo and his Japanese counterpart Nobuo Kishi are expected to ink the agreement during their meeting and the meeting of both countries’ foreign ministers, according to the Kyodo News media outlet.

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/03/31/055356674/indonesia-and-japan-ministerial-meetings-touch-on-bilateral-relations-and.