Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, from left, and Foreign Minister Sugiono, Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi get together after their joint press announcement at Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on Nov 17, 2025. - AP
JAKARTA: Indonesia and Japan reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in maritime security and to exploring new cooperation opportunities in the sector through diplomatic and defence approaches, reported Antara news agency.
The commitment was achieved during a ministerial-level meeting between Indonesian and Japanese foreign and defence ministers, or "2+2" meeting, in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday (Nov 17) local time.
According to the written statement from the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday, the meeting was attended by Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono and Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
During the meeting, the ministers shared views about current global dynamics and discussed efforts to strengthen defence and security cooperation to ensure the free international order based on the supremacy of the law.
The Indonesian and Japanese ministers agreed to strengthen maritime cooperation through Japan's Official Security Assistance (OSA) and Official Development Assistance (ODA) mechanisms.
"The four ministers welcomed cooperation development in the maritime security sector, including through the provision of a patrol boat through ODA from Japan to Indonesia during the last '2+2' meeting, as well as the provision of a high-speed patrol ship through the OSA mechanism," the Japanese embassy noted.
The ministers also welcomed the increasing number of joint training and human resources exchanges, as well as discussions on defence equipment and technology cooperation based on the equipment transfer agreement inked during the earlier "2+2" meeting.
Besides concurring on defence cooperation, Indonesia and Japan also agreed to start discussing a new collaboration on the encryption of military information.
On the same occasion, Indonesian and Japanese ministers lauded the "2+2" meeting on Monday, which took place for the first time after almost 5 years. Moreover, FM Motegi said that Indonesia-Japan relations are becoming more important to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The four ministers also discussed regional and global developments during the meeting, including issues concerning the South China Sea and the East Sea, North Korea, the Middle East, and Myanmar.
Regarding Palestine, the Indonesian and Japanese sides agreed to optimise the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) mechanism to support Gaza recovery and rehabilitation. - Bernama-Antara
