Scheduled to Attend the ASEAN-Japan Summit, Jokowi-PM Fumio will Discuss the Construction of the East-West Jakarta MRT

MRT Jakarta. (Between)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo will leave for Japan on December 16 2023. The head of state is scheduled to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Japan summit and the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan friendship and cooperation on December 16-18 2023.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said that Jokowi would be the co-chair or co-host with the Japanese Prime Minister (PM) at the meeting to be held on December 17.

"The President of the Republic of Indonesia and the PM of Japan will hold a joint press conference after the meeting," said Iqbal at a press conference in Jakarta, Tuesday, December 12, as reported by Antara.

Apart from attending the ASEAN-Japan Summit, Iqbal said President Jokowi would also attend a meeting of Asia Zero Economy Community (AZEC) leaders.

AZEC is a forum for Asian countries to work together to achieve carbon neutrality and energy transition to achieve zero emissions.

Under the AZEC framework, Japan is committed to providing financial support of up to US$8 billion by 2030 for projects, such as renewable energy and energy saving initiatives.

The AZEC countries consist of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Jokowi's visit to Japan will begin with a bilateral meeting with Japanese PM Fumio Kishida on December 16.

Iqbal said the meeting would discuss several issues, including the construction of the MRT Jakarta east-west line, support for the energy transition, development of green infrastructure, plans to increase the sending of skilled Indonesian workers to Japan, and Japan's support for the National Capital (IKN) of the archipelago.

Japan is Indonesia's second largest trading partner in 2022.

According to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Trade, total trade between Indonesia and Japan that year reached 42 billion US dollars, with Indonesian exports to Japan amounting to 24.85 billion US dollars and imports amounting to 17.17 billion US dollars.

Total trade between the two countries from January to September 2023 reached 28.2 billion US dollars.

The value of Japanese investment in Indonesia in 2022 will reach 3.56 billion US dollars.