Minister Basuki Claims To Be Remembered By The Emperor Of Japan When Receiving Service Stars

PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono played drums at Wisma Duta KBRI Tokyo after receiving the award of service star "The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star" from the Japanese government in Tokyo (ANTARA/Juwita Trisna Rahayu)

JAKARTA - Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono said he was still remembered by Japanese Emperor Naruhito during the handover of the service star "The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star" in Tokyo.

Of the 118 participants there are five international participants, one I am from Indonesia. After His Majesty came down from the podium, he went straight to me. The protocol in Japan was very strict. We are not allowed to speak and greet the emperor. However, he embraced first and conveyed 'Nice to see you again'. He still remembers me, "said Basuki after receiving the award, reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, November 8.

In the conversation, Basuki conveyed greetings from President Joko Widodo to Naruhito, who greeted him back.

Representing Jokowi, Basuki invited the emperor to attend the 10th World Water Forum which will be held in Bali in 2024. Naruhito is known to have special attention to water issues.

"After greeting me, he kept going (and) didn't hit anyone else," he said.

According to him, what Naruhito did shows that the Indonesia-Japan relationship is very special considering that Indonesia was the first country he visited after being crowned the emperor.

During last June's visit, Basuki was assigned to accompany Naruhito because he was considered to have a comprehensive understanding of water and infrastructure.

Basuki was awarded the service star because he was considered to have contributed to the cooperation between the two countries in the development of basic infrastructure, including roads and rivers.

The knowledge and experience he gained from the volcano erosion control project (Sabo) on Mount Merapi, Yogyakarta, has been an input for the Sabo project on Sakurajima Island and Mount Unzen Fugen-dake in Japan.

The project is considered to have made a major contribution to the development of volcanic disaster prevention, not only in Indonesia but also in Japan.