During his visit to Japan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo obtained support in several sectors, including energy, transportation, and the economy. The Indonesian President visited Tokyo to attend the Japan-ASEAN Summit on Saturday (Dec 16) and the AZEC Summit on Monday (Dec 18).
During Monday’s inaugural AZEC Summit (Asia Zero Emission Community), Indonesia obtained at least 24 energy transition projects. “The summit’s deliverables include 69 cooperation agreements on energy transition, 24 of which are projects that will be worked on together by Indonesia and Japan,” Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said.
The 24 projects involve various parties, including state-run electricity company PT PLN, state-run fertilizer enterprise Pupuk Indonesia, the National Capital Authority (OIKN), and PPT Energy Trading Co. Ltd., and cover aspects such as capacity-building for energy transition, ‘waste-to-energy,’ decarbonization, and the development of electric transmission, geothermal, and green ammonia.
The AZEC, co-initiated by Indonesia and Japan, is a platform for countries to cooperate in achieving net-zero emissions in Asia and its surrounding areas. Australia, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are community members.
Indonesia considers it essential to support cooperation in decarbonization through inclusive financing and the transfer of low-carbon technology. Indonesia hoped Japan would support its downstream mineral industry and emerge as a crucial player in the global supply chain of electric vehicle batteries.
During the bilateral meeting between President Widodo and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday (Dec 16), the leaders discussed the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, hoping that construction of the north-south corridor continues as planned with a commitment from Japan for the East-West Corridor, with groundbreaking set for August 2024.
The two leaders witnessed an MoU signing on cooperation worth 10 billion yen (equal to Rp1 trillion) between Harapan Kita Hospital and Tokushukai Medical Corporation to improve cardiovascular services in the Asian region.
Widodo and Kishida also received proposal documents issued during the ASEAN-Japan Young Business Leaders’ Summit and the ASEAN-Japan Gen-Z Business Leaders’ Summit, and they witnessed the exchange of documents on the grant of a patrol ship worth US$ 63.3 million from the Japanese government to the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla).
Besides the economic sector, Indonesia discussed the current situation in Palestine with Japan. Widodo reiterated Indonesia’s commitment to pushing for a lasting ceasefire, planning continuous humanitarian aid, and encouraging the immediate commencement of a peace process to end the prolonged conflict.
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