JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto returned to home soil late on Wednesday (April 1) after wrapping up his official tour to Japan and South Korea, where he engaged in high-level meetings to discuss the impacts on Asian countries from the United States-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The presidential aircraft carrying Prabowo and his entourage landed just before midnight on April 1 at Halim Perdanakusum Air Force Base in East Jakarta, where they were greeted by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and other cabinet ministers.
Prabowo departed on Sunday evening for his four-day East Asia tour, which also marked his first state visits to Japan and South Korea since taking office in October 2024.
In Tokyo, Prabowo and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held bilateral talks with an aim to strengthen cooperation and investment between the two countries across various sectors, including energy and security. He also met with Emperor Naruhito and attended a bilateral business forum.
Prabowo then departed on his tour’s second leg to Seoul, where was welcomed on Wednesday with a state ceremony by South Korean counterpart Lee Jae-myung.
The occasion marked the second meeting between the two leaders after they first met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju last November.
The South Korea visit yielded 27 memoranda of understanding across various sectors, from manufacturing to infrastructure, with a combined value of US$10.26 billion.
In a statement on Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said Prabowo’s meeting directly with businesspeople helped finalise the deals.
“The President was not only present symbolically but [also] actively listened, responded quickly and provided solutions while giving orders based on suggestions from the business community,” said Teddy, who was part of the state delegation.
While the East Asia tour resulted in a large number of investment deals, Prabowo has returned as the government prepares to enforce the one day weekly remote work policy for civil servants.
The move is part of a wider effort to conserve energy supplies amid soaring global prices caused by the Iran conflict.
The energy saving measures also include restrictions on fuel sales, reducing the use of official vehicles by half and slashing the official travel budget 50 per cent for domestic trips and 70 per cent for overseas trips. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
