Japan, Indonesia Sign Agreement to Expand Defense Cooperation

Jakarta, May 4 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, signed an agreement to expand their defense cooperation at a meeting in Jakarta on Monday. The two countries will establish a framework for dialogue between their defense officials, called the Integrated Defense Dialogue Mechanism. Under the framework, vice minister-level officials will discuss policy issues, and chief of staff-level officers will focus on unit operations. During the meeting, Koizumi explained the recent revision of Japan’s three principles on defense equipment transfer and their implementation guidelines to allow his country to export lethal weapons. Sjafrie welcomed the revision, as the Indonesian government is interested in procuring used submarines from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force. The two ministers agreed to form a working-level group to enhance cooperation on defense equipment. After the meeting, Koizumi told reporters, “We’ll promote meaningful transfers of defense equipment from the viewpoint of strengthening cooperation with like-minded countries.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]