BOGOR (AFP) – Japan will give Indonesia two high-speed patrol boats, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said yesterday, as Tokyo seeks to boost regional maritime security cooperation.
Ishiba made the pledge during a visit to Jakarta, where he held talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on a range of bilateral issues.
“We agreed on establishing working-level defence consultations on our maritime security, including on defence equipment technical cooperation,” Ishiba was quoted as saying in a joint statement.
“We also agreed to… provide high-speed patrol boats through Official Security Assistance, which would be our first with Indonesia.”
He said the two countries also agreed to cooperate in decarbonised energy sectors, such as geothermal power, hydrogen, ammonia, and biofuels.
Before arriving in Jakarta, Ishiba held talks in Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“For our foreign policy, strengthening cooperation with Southeast Asia is one of the biggest priorities,” Ishiba said.
