Jokowi Flies To Tokyo To Attend The ASEAN-Japan Summit

President Jokowi (Setpres)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) left for Tokyo from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, Saturday morning at around 06.00 WIB. He is scheduled to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan Summit series which will take place from 16-18 December 2023.

"Japan is an important and strategic partner for Indonesia, and Japan is also an important partner for ASEAN," said President Jokowi quoting Antara.

The President mentioned three activities that he will carry out in Tokyo, namely a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, leading along with PM Kishida at the ASEAN-Japan Summit in Indonesia's capacity as chairman of ASEAN this year, and attending the ASEAN Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Summit.

"At the meeting with PM Fumio Kishida, we will discuss economic cooperation, will discuss cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, energy transition, critical minerals, and also maritime cooperation," said Jokowi.

Meanwhile, at the ASEAN-Japan 50th Anniversary Summit with the theme 'Golden Friendship, Golden Opportunity', Jokowi and Kishida will lead a joint meeting to discuss strengthening future-oriented ASEAN-Japan partnerships, including through a green economy, accelerating digital transformation, and implementation of ASEAN's View of Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

President Jokowi will also attend the first AZEC Summit, after this initiative was launched on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali last year.

"As co-initiator of AZEC, Indonesia will prioritize the spirit of inclusive collaboration to realize emission-free areas. This summit will be attended by Japan as co-initiators, Australia, and member countries of ASEAN," he said.

Citing the official website of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, through this AZEC initiative, Indonesia will get the first priority of funding of 500 million US dollars (around Rp7.8 trillion) from Japan to implement energy transition programs and expand cooperation and public-private decarbonization initiatives.

Meanwhile, in the economic context, Japan is the second largest trading partner for Indonesia in 2022.

The Indonesian Ministry of Trade noted that Indonesia-Japan's total trade in 2022 reached 42 billion US dollars, with Indonesia's exports to Japan amounting to 24.85 billion US dollars and imports of 17.17 billion US dollars.

The total trade between the two countries from January to September 2023 reached 28.2 billion US dollars, while the value of Japanese investment in Indonesia in 2022 reached 3.56 billion US dollars.

After completing all of his work agenda in Japan, President Jokowi and a limited entourage are scheduled to arrive back in the country on December 19, 2023.