Indonesia and Japan have signed a defence cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening collaboration in the defence industry, human resource development, and disaster mitigation.
The agreement was signed on Monday in Jakarta by Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi.
“We have both agreed to promote substantive cooperation in the defence industry and development of our personnel, whilst taking into account our respective national interests,” Sjafrie said ahead of the signing ceremony in an audio statement released by Indonesia’s Defence Ministry.
Koizumi described the agreement as a “compass and crucial milestone” that will guide future defence cooperation between both countries.
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The ministers did not provide detailed specifics of the areas of cooperation covered in the agreement.
Japan recently lifted its ban on overseas arms sales as part of efforts to strengthen its defence industry and expand international partnerships.
During a bilateral meeting, both ministers also discussed wider collaboration in maritime security, joint military exercises, and defence technology cooperation, according to Koizumi.
