Japan to Boost Support for Remote Indonesian Islands

Natuna, Indonesia, Feb. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan has been beefing up its fishery-related aid to Indonesia’s remote Natuna Islands in the southern part of the South China Sea, likely in hopes of curbing China’s influence in the area. Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone around the islands partially overlaps with the waters surrounded by the “nine dash line” unilaterally claimed by China, a contentious maritime boundary that encompasses most of the South China Sea. Tokyo, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, plans to provide aid for the development of a fish market in Ranai, the central city of Bunguran Island, the largest of the Natuna Islands. Hadi Suryanto, who heads the local fisheries department, said residents of the island are eagerly awaiting the new market, saying that the existing one is too small and has inadequate drainage facilities. The Japanese government-held agency plans to provide about 88 billion Indonesian rupiah, or about 800 million yen, in grant aid for the envisaged fish market. The project, aimed at revitalizing the local economy, envisions the establishment of a market equipped with a wharf, cold-storage facilities and ice-making equipment in about a year. In waters around Natuna Islands, known as excellent fishing grounds for tuna and bonito, fishing boats from China operate illegally. China, which claims sovereignty based on the nine dash line, also asserts ownership over natural gas and other resources in the area. JICA is also considering a project to help Indonesia strengthen its maritime surveillance capabilities, with the island chain one of the possible host sites. Shortly after Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto took office in October 2024, operations in the area by a research vessel belonging to a state-owned oil company were disrupted by a Chinese coast guard ship. At a summit between Prabowo and Chinese President Xi Jinping the following month, the two sides announced that they had reached an “important common understanding on joint development in areas of overlapping claims.” This led to criticism in Indonesia that the president had recognized China’s nine dash line, leaving the country busy containing the situation. Located near the Strait of Malacca, the Natuna Islands are a strategic location for Japan, which heavily relies on oil tankers that pass through the area. “The Japanese government shares strategic interests with Indonesia in terms of Chinese maritime expansion,” said Tomotaka Shoji, director of the Regional Studies Department at Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies and an expert on South China Sea-related issues. Japan’s efforts to expand support in the Natuna Islands are “aimed at encouraging Indonesia to establish economic activities that do not depend on other nations, before China makes economic advances” further in the Southeast Asian nation, Shoji also said. Although there have been no major clashes between Indonesia and China recently, the Indonesian side is boosting military presence and increasing related personnel on the Natuna Islands. An Indonesian government official said that there is no telling when China might change its mind on Indonesia. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]