Japan, Indonesia to Resume Talks on Combat Ship Exports, Also Agree on More Active Exchanges of Human Resources

By Hirotaka Kuriyama and Nobuteru Sakuda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

15:57 JST, January 8, 2025

JAKARTA — Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has agreed to resume bilateral talks on a plan for Japan to effectively export surface combat ships designed for the Maritime Self-Defense Force to Indonesia.

The two ministers met in Jakarta on Tuesday as part of efforts to create a framework for their nations’ defense authorities to discuss maritime national security.

To deter China, which has been trying to forcibly change the status quo, the Japanese government aims to strengthen security cooperation ties with Indonesia, which is a major power among the group of emerging and developing countries known as the Global South.

The meeting lasted for about 90 minutes. At the beginning, Nakatani emphatically said that Indonesia’s “progress in the modernization of its navy and enhancing its maritime deterrence can contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.” The Indonesian defense minister replied that he wants to discuss such things as how to strengthen strategic cooperation over national security issues.

Indonesia has been watchful toward China’s maritime advancements in the South China Sea and has shown strong interest in such measures as the introduction of surface combat ships designed for the MSDF.

Japan is unable to directly export surface combat ships due to its implementation guidelines for the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology. Thus, the Japanese government had aimed to transfer MSDF ships in the form of a joint development project, but talks on the issue did not progress during the administration of former Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

After the meeting, Nakatani spoke to reporters about transfers of defense equipment to Indonesia, saying, “We are going to discuss the possibility of practical cooperation.”

The two ministers also agreed to strengthen collaboration between the SDF and Indonesian military and to conduct more active exchanges of the two countries’ young human resources.

Nakatani also expressed Japan’s “serious concerns” about foreign military forces’ activities around Japan, mainly with China and North Korea in mind.