Strengthen Cultural Foundation In Diplomatic Relations, Bilateral Meeting Of Indonesian Culture Ministers' Japan
JAKARTA On the sidelines of the implementation of APEC High-Level Dialogue on Cultural and Creative Industries (HLD-CCI) 2025 which is taking place in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan (MEXT), HE Toshi Abe. This meeting became one of the important agendas in a series of state visits by the Minister of Culture to South Korea, which was also used to strengthen cooperation with strategic countries.
During this meeting, the two ministers reiterated that culture is the main foundation in strengthening Indonesia's bilateral relations. Since diplomatic relations were established 65 years ago, the two have agreed that culture is a foundation that strengthens cooperation in various fields.
Menbud Fadli on this occasion explained developments regarding Indonesia's cultural policies, particularly related to the government's commitment to placing culture as one of the main pillars of national development. Indonesia's development now places culture not only as a legacy, but also as a strategic resource to strengthen the nation's identity while at the same time encouraging competitiveness at the global level.
One of the important issues discussed is the follow-up to the Repatriation Protocol regarding the excavation, collection, and repatriation of the Japanese army skeleton that died in Indonesia during World War II. We discussed follow-up to the Repatriation Protocol regarding the excavation, collection, and repatriation of the Japanese army skeleton that died in PD II, through field operations and joint research," said Menbud Fadli.
In addition, this bilateral meeting also opens a wide space for cooperation in other fields, including protecting cultural heritage, reducing disaster risk to cultural heritage and archives, as well as digital transformation in cultural management.
Not only that, Menbud Fadli and Menbud Toshiko Abe also agreed to encourage the exchange of artists and the younger generation as part of cultural diplomacy. This exchange is expected to strengthen relations between the two countries, expand cross-cultural understanding, and create creative collaboration spaces that can have a positive impact on the development of the creative industry in both countries.
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Present to accompany the Minister of Culture in this bilateral meeting, including the Director General of Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cultural Cooperation, Endah Tjahjani Dwirini Retno Astuti, and the Expert Staff of the Minister for Economics and Industry, Anindita Kusuma.
This bilateral meeting reaffirmed the important role of culture as a liaison capable of exceeding geographical and political boundaries. With the stronger collaboration between Indonesia and Japan in the cultural field, the two countries are determined to deepen friendship and expand cooperation that is beneficial for the community.