Welcomed By PM Fumio Kishida In Tokyo, Puan Invites Japan To Invest In The Nusantara IKN Project

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani (Dok DPR Photo)

TOKYO - Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, held a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Fumio Kishida. During the meeting, Puan revealed that Indonesia-Japan cooperation could be a driving force for economic progress in Asia.

Puan and her entourage were greeted at the Japanese Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Tuesday, October 10 afternoon local time. This bilateral meeting was held during a series of Puan's working visits to Japan for several days.

The visit of the DPR Delegation led by Puan also coincided with 65 years of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Japan. For Indonesia, Japan is the third largest trading partner.

"Our two countries have been close friends for more than six decades, with close cooperation in various fields, ranging from economy, education, to cultural exchange," said Puan.

The former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture said that Indonesia is still a tourist destination from Japan to vacation to enjoy the natural beauty of the motherland. Many Indonesians are also called Puan who come to Japan, both for business and travel.

"So that the people of our two countries already know each other very well," he explained.

With the many public visits of the two countries, Puan hopes that Indonesia and Japan will continue to strive to develop friendship. To support this, according to him, the role of parliament between the two countries is needed.

"With strong and friendly parliamentary relations, in the future, of course, we want the friendship between Indonesia and Japan to be closer and continue to benefit the people of the two countries," said Puan.

Puan detailed various improvements in economic cooperation that can be carried out by Indonesia and Japan. According to him, Japan can invest in the development of the National Capital City (IKN) of the Archipelago in Kalimantan, especially in the revision of Law (UU) Number 3 of 2022 concerning IKN which has just been ratified by the DPR, investors are given business rights (HGU) up to 190 years.

Not only that, Puan also encourages the commitment of Japanese automotive companies to make Indonesia a production center, especially for electric vehicles. Currently, the Indonesian government is intensifying the use of electric vehicles to reduce global warming.

"Of course we hope that Japan can become a friend who invests in Indonesia in various sectors. Such as in the automotive sector, as well as in the development of the already running IKN Nusantara," said Puan.

Indonesia itself is known to continue to strive to open up opportunities for cooperation to benefit the two countries. Puan also said that the Indonesian economy itself in the last ten years has made a lot of progress.

"Various infrastructures have been built that make Indonesia a strategic production center in Asia," explained the first woman to serve as Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives.

Furthermore, Puan encouraged Japan to accept more Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI). He said PMI attendance could contribute to both countries.

According to data from the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI), the number of PMIs in Japan in 2023 reached 70,301 people. This number increased sharply compared to the previous year, which was 36,000 people in 2022.

"Indonesia also believes that Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) and Indonesian interns in Japan can continue to contribute positively to Japan's economic growth by being given more opportunities," explained Puan.