Tokyo, July 27 (BNA) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after his talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo that the Japanese Defense Forces will participate for the first time in military exercises in Indonesia next month along with the United States and Australia.
Japan’s participation comes as Washington and its regional allies step up efforts to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
The meeting between Kishida and Jokowi, as he is popularly known, came a day after the Indonesian president made a rare visit to China for a summit with President Xi Jinping, during which the two pledged to expand trade and expand cooperation in areas such as agriculture. and food security, Reuters reported.
“Indonesia shares our core values as well as strategic goals, it is a strategic partner,” Kishida said at a press conference after Monday’s meeting.
He said Japan’s Self-Defense Forces will participate in the Garuda Shield joint military exercises scheduled in Indonesia from August 1 with the United States and Australia, and this will be the first time that Japan will participate.
The US said the annual exercises, usually between Indonesia and the US, would be “much larger in scope and scale” than in previous years.
Jokowi emphasized the practical aspects of bilateral relations and stated that the two countries have agreed on changes to the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement that will be signed later this year.
ZHB