Japan, Indonesia to go for closer security ties
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, left, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are pictured before their talks in Bogor, south of Jakarta, on Jan. 11, 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Saturday his country has agreed to provide high-speed patrol boats to Indonesia following talks with President Prabowo Subianto, as the maritime nations seek to expand security cooperation amid China’s growing clout.
“Japan wants to cooperate as much as possible” in areas including the improvement of defence capabilities and energy security, Ishiba said at the meeting with Prabowo in Bogor, south of Jakarta.
The Indonesian president hailed Japan as an important partner and welcomed its involvement in helping to nurture his country’s natural resources industry.
Two patrol boats are expected to be supplied as part of Japan’s defence assistance program intended to bolster security ties with like-minded nations.
The leaders are also likely to have discussed holding a “two-plus-two” ministerial meeting of their foreign and defence ministers, the third of its kind, at an early date. The previous round was held in 2021.
Ishiba, who became prime minister in October, is on the final leg of a trip that also took him to Malaysia, hoping to solidify ties with countries that are critical in achieving a rules-based, free and open Indo-Pacific.
Japan regards its relations with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as strategically important due to their proximity to the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
It also values ties with the emerging and developing economies of the so-called Global South, in which Indonesia is seeking to play a leading role.
Japan and Indonesia have a bilateral agreement that took effect in 2021 on the transfer of defence equipment and technology. They view each other as “comprehensive strategic partners” that share common values like democracy.
Resource-rich Indonesia is located along the Strait of Malacca, a key shipping lane for energy and other goods.
In Malaysia on Friday, Ishiba and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to jointly work toward ensuring regional security and robust supply chains.
The trip to Southeast Asia marks the first time Ishiba has travelled overseas solely for bilateral summits as prime minister.
