Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Monday told the visiting Japanese Emperor Naruhito that his Indonesia trip had bolstered the bilateral ties which could pave the way for stronger economic cooperation.

“Emperor [Naruhito]’s visit has really strengthened the foundation of friendship between our people. These strong fundamentals are necessary for our bilateral strategic partnership, particularly in economic [cooperation],” Jokowi said in a joint press statement at the Bogor Presidential Palace.

“We should continue to nurture our people-to-people ties as well as the Indonesia-Japan bilateral relations amidst the challenges that the world faces today,” Jokowi said.

Naruhito’s Indonesia trip marked his first goodwill trip since becoming Japan’s 126th emperor in 2019.

“I’m really honored that Indonesia became the first country that [Emperor Naruhito] went to as part of his state visit,” Jokowi added.

Government data shows Indonesia-Japan bilateral trade totaled $42 billion in 2022. This marked a 22.6 percent increase from $32.52 billion posted a year earlier. Foreign direct investment (FDI) from Japan to Indonesia totaled $3.56 billion throughout last year, up from $2.26 billion recorded in 2021.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) also takes part in a number of major infrastructure projects in Indonesia.

The Finance Ministry, as reported by news agency Antara, revealed in February that JICA has funded 551 billion yen ($3.89 billion) worth of projects in Indonesia. About 227 billion yen went into the mass rapid transport (MRT) system development.