Jakarta: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will visit Japan on December 16-18, 2023, to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Japan summit and the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, stated in a press conference here on Tuesday that President Jokowi would co-chair the meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on December 17. “The Indonesian president and Japanese PM will hold a joint press conference after the meeting,” Iqbal stated. Meanwhile, on the day before (December 16), Jokowi will hold a bilateral meeting with PM Kishida. In addition to attending the ASEAN-Japan summit, Jokowi will also attend the meeting of leaders of the Asia Zero Economy Community (AZEC), he remarked.
AZEC is a collaboration platform for several Asian countries to bolster carbon neutrality and energy transition to achieve zero emission targets. Under the AZEC framework, Japan is committed to providing financial support of up to US$8 billion until 2030 for renewable energy projects and energy-saving initiatives. AZEC countries comprise Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
At the bilateral meeting with Kishida, Jokowi will speak about the construction of the Jakarta MRT’s East-West Line, efforts for energy transition, green infrastructure development, plans to increase the delivery of Indonesian skilled workers to Japan, and Japanese support for development of the Nusantara National Capital. Japan was Indonesia’s second-largest trading partner in 2022. According to data from the Trade Ministry, the total trade between Indonesia and Japan in that year had reached US$42 billion, with Indonesian exports to Japan amounting to US$24.85 billion and imports from Japan valued at US$17.17 billion.
