Jakarta (Antara) – 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 spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said at a press conference on Tuesday that President Jokowi will chair a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on December 17.
„The Indonesian president and the Japanese prime minister will hold a joint press conference after the meeting,” Iqbal said.
Meanwhile, the day before (December 16), Jokowi holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Kishida.
He noted that in addition to attending the ASEAN-Japan Summit, Jokowi will also attend the Asian Zero Economy Community (AZEC) Leaders’ Meeting.
AZEC is a joint platform for several Asian countries to achieve zero emission targets to increase carbon neutrality and energy transition.
Under the AZEC framework, Japan has committed to finance up to US$8 billion through 2030 for renewable energy projects and energy conservation initiatives.
AZEC countries include Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
In the bilateral meeting with Kishida, Jokowi will discuss the construction of the Jakarta MRT’s east-west line, energy transition efforts, green infrastructure development, plans to increase the supply of Indonesian skilled labor to Japan, and Japanese support for development. Nusantara is the national capital.
Japan will be Indonesia’s second largest trading partner in 2022.
According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, total trade between Indonesia and Japan reached US$42 billion that year, with Indonesian exports to Japan worth US$24.85 billion and imports from Japan worth US$17.17 billion.
Total trade between the two countries reached US$28.2 billion from January to September 2023, while Japan’s investment value in Indonesia was recorded at US$3.56 billion in 2022.
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