Jakarta. Defense Minister and likely presidential winner Prabowo Subianto is seeking to form stronger defense ties with Japan.

Prabowo recently hosted a visit by the Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masaki Yasushi at his ministerial office in Jakarta. The former military general announced the meeting on the social media platform X on Thursday.

“Japan is a strategic partner for Indonesia. We are committed to continue to strengthen our bilateral ties,” Prabowo said.

A separate ministerial press release said that Prabowo had talked of the bilateral defense cooperation with the Japanese diplomat. Prabowo said both countries should push for joint military exercises, as well as cooperation on technology transfer.

Yasushi also commented on his meeting with Prabowo in an Instagram post. 

“As Indonesia-Japan’s defense ties continue to grow stronger, we reiterate that both countries see each other as important partners. We both have agreed to bolster the bilateral ties,” Yasushi said.

In 2021, Indonesia and Japan signed an agreement on the transfer of defense equipment and technology. In 2023, Indonesia hosted the Super Garuda Shield joint drills that brought together military personnel from the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan.

During his presidential campaign, Prabowo said that he wanted to pursue a “good neighbor foreign policy”, arguing that “one thousand friends is too few, one enemy is too many.” The General Election Commission (KPU) is still counting the votes. While the deadline for the official announcement is on March 20, KPU is seeking to announce the results two days earlier.