H.E. Ambassador Yukio Takeuchi<\/p>\n
What is your impression of Indonesia since your arrival nine
\nmonths ago?<\/p>\n
I have noticed many things. First, I am really impressed by
\nthe warm and friendship shown by Indonesians towards Japan. As
\nfor the changes in the political field, the election of the
\nPresident and Vice President and the transfer of political power
\ntook place peacefully without any confusion. This is, in my
\nopinion, an indication of the progress toward democracy in
\nIndonesia. Furthermore, I believe that continuing efforts are
\nalso necessary to implement political and economic reforms, which
\naim at achieving economic recovery, enforcing the rule of law,
\nand eradicating KKN, etc.<\/p>\n
What kind of relationship is desirable between Indonesia and
\nJapan?<\/p>\n
From Japan's point of view, the peace and prosperity of
\nIndonesia - a country with a vast territory and more than 200
\nmillion people - is essential for the peace and prosperity of the
\nwhole Asia-Pacific region. As fellow Asians, the two countries
\nshare common values and interests. For that reason, Japan has
\nbeen trying to work toward broadening and deepening its friendly
\nand cooperative relationship with Indonesia. As a true partner
\nwith Indonesia, Japan hopes that the Indonesian people can
\nachieve peace, democracy, and a prosperious life, and Japan will
\nassist Indonesia as much as possible. In my opinion, what's
\nimportant is promoting a friendly and cooperative relationship,
\nwhich can be described by the phrase \"Berpikir Bersama, Berjalan
\nBersama\" (\"Think together, walk together\"). We want to emphasize
\nthat Japan will not impose its own way of thinking upon
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Then what do you think is important in order to promote a
\npositive Japan-Indonesia relationship, particularly in the
\neconomic field ?<\/p>\n
The present situation in Indonesia requires the implementation
\nof reforms in various areas such as economic recovery, the
\neradication of poverty, and democratization. Therefore, I will do
\nmy best to support efforts in these areas which are being made by
\nthe Indonesian government and people.
\nIn the economic field, expanding employment opportunities
\ncritical to the eradication of poverty. Investment is therefore
\nnecessary to expand employment opportunities and to elevate the
\nincome level of the people. Political stability, consistent
\neconomic policies, the rule of law, and the eradication of KKN
\nare essential in order to draw further investment from Japan.
\nThus, to help Indonesia creates an attractive investment
\nenvironment, Japan, as the largest investor in Indonesia, has
\ngiven advice and extended assistance to Indonesian counterparts.
\nI also think that establishing a stable labor-management
\nrelationship is necessary to expand investment. Japan has been
\ncooperating in these matters with the Indonesian government and
\nlabor unions. For the eradication of poverty, I believe that the
\nupgrading of the quality of education in elementary and middle
\nschools is a priority area for Japan`s aid. Japan is now in a
\ndifficult financial and economic situation. In spite of that,
\nJapan continues to give economic and technical support to
\nIndonesia, as much as possible, to help Indonesia's efforts
\ntowards self-reliance. Even though Indonesia's accumulated debt
\nproblem is inevitable, the Japanese government has announced a
\npolicy to assist Indonesia within the Paris Club framework.<\/p>\n
How do you see the democratization process in Indonesia?<\/p>\n
Japan believes assisting in the further development of
\ndemocratization is important. As a friend, Japan is also
\nassisting in Indonesia`s governance reform. In this regard, Japan
\nis prepared to closely collaborate with Indonesian NGOs. To
\naccelerate reform towards democratization, the Indonesian people
\nneed to be determined and persevering for the reforms towards
\ndemocratization, including such problems as judicial reform, and
\nthe eradication of KKN. Indonesia, at present, enjoys a freedom
\nof press, which I think is really marvelous. This is because free
\npress contributes to enhancing political, administrative, and
\njudicial transparency. I hope the Indonesian leaders will provide
\ntheir visions and explain their policies quickly and accurately
\nto the people by taking advantage of the freedom of press. The
\nmass media, as one of the bearers of democratization, should
\nconvey news and information with a sense of responsibility. The
\nJapanese Embassy actively provides information to the Indonesian
\npeople so that they can know the right information about true
\nJapan, Japanese policy vis-a-vis Indonesia, including its
\neconomic and technical cooperation. The Indonesian parliament
\n(DPR) is currently playing an important role, and has a
\nresponsibility to uphold democratic principles by way of
\nperforming a legislative function and maintaining a balance of
\npower. The Japanese Embassy actively exchanges information and
\nviews with the members of DPR who are playing such an important
\nrole. For example, from the beginning of this year, we have begun
\nto inform DPR members of the activities sponsored by Japan to
\npromote the Japan - Indonesia cooperative relationship.<\/p>\n
Could you please explain, in concrete terms, Japanese economic
\nassistance to Indonesia ?<\/p>\n
As a whole, Japanese economic assistance to Indonesia is
\ncomprised of loans and grants, and technical support which is
\nimplemented in many fields. For example, for the purpose of
\nbuilding an environment which attracts a stable influx of private
\ninvestment from foreign countries, political stability and law
\nenforcement are necessary. In this respect, Japan is prepared to
\nactively assist Indonesia by sending experts on judicial reform
\nand regional autonomy and also by receiving Indonesian trainees
\nin Japan in these areas. Furthermore, it is also worth mentioning
\nhere that small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) are one of
\nthe pillars of the industrial base of a country and have been
\nplaying an indispensable role in assuring the availability of
\nemployment. Therefore, assisting SME development is an important
\nelement in helping Indonesia to recover and eradicate poverty.
\nFor that purpose, Japan is giving various schemes of assistance,
\nbased on the Urata Report which has been worked out to help
\ndevelop Indonesia`s SMEs. In addition to the assistance in the
\nagriculture and forestry fields, Japan is extending its
\ncooperation in fields directly related to the lives of the
\nIndonesian people, such as building schools and hospitals with
\ngrant assistance, and distributing a \"maternal and child health
\nbook\". Furthermore, to remove the bottle-neck hampering economic
\nrecovery, we have been giving assistance in the form of yen loans
\nfor building roads for the general public and for industrial use,
\nand for the consolidation of community infrastructure in the
\nregions. We are also planning on providing more asisistance in
\nthe fields of Information technology, electricity and gas.
\nBesides the assistance on the government level, Japan is also
\nattempting to hold dialogues with NGOs. For example, we have been
\nassisting the NGOs and the local governments in Indonesia with
\nour grass-roots grant assistance scheme which supports projects
\nsuch as the construction of a special facility for street
\nchildren in North Jakarta, helping displaced persons in the
\nMaluku Province, and assistance for the flood victims in Nias
\nIsland. Although at the present Japan is in a difficult economic
\nand financial situation while implementing the \"Reform without
\nSanctuary\" policy, as a fellow Asian friend to Indonesia, Japan
\nwould like to continue to give as much assistance as possible to
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Speaking of economic cooperation, how does Japan view the
\nresult of the CGI (Consulatative Group on Indonesia) meeting held
\non the Nov. 7 and 8?<\/p>\n
The recent CGI meeting was an opportunity for the
\ninternational community to announce their intention to assist
\nIndonesia which is working toward economic recovery. At the
\nmeeting, the donor countries also announced a pledge to give
\nfinancial assistance to Indonesia for the fiscal year 2002 and
\nexpressed the hope that economic recovery in Indonesia could
\nproceed further. Once again, despite the prevailing severe
\nfinancial situation in Japan, we have pledged to extend financial
\nassistance to help cover approximately one-third of Indonesia`s
\nUS$7 billion financing gap, by way of debt-rescheduling and
\ndisbursement of the approved assistance.<\/p>\n
Are there any new developments in cultural and personnel
\nexchange between the two countries ?<\/p>\n
One relatively new development is the Art Summit Indonesia.
\nThis event is held every year with the participation of artists
\ncoming from many countries. This was the third year for the
\nevent, and three Japanese art groups participated. They were
\nwarmly welcomed by the spectators. However, I am not yet
\nsatisfied with the present situation of the cultural exchange
\nbetween our two countries. We should endeavor more to deepen
\nmutual understanding through cultural exchange. I want to
\nencourage a more active cultural exchange between our countries,
\nparticularly through the Japan Foundation in Jakarta. Concerning
\nthe personnel exchange, the number of Indonesian students
\nstudying in Japan is increasing year by year. At present, more
\nthan 1,300 Indonesian students are studying in Japan per year. I
\nam happy to observe that those who return home after their study
\nare very active in various fields. We are trying to encourage
\nmany more talented Indonesian students and researchers to study
\nin Japan.<\/p>\n
You usually call the Japan-Indonesia relationship a
\n\"Partnership of thinking together, walking together\", what do you
\nmean by this phrase?<\/p>\n
I believe that it is important for Japan to think together
\nwith Indonesia in determining what kind of assistance we can give
\nto Indonesia, a country which is working hard to build a more
\ndemocratic and prosperous nation while maintaining its unity
\namidst diversity. The Japanese feel a close affinity and respect
\nfor the Indonesian people and their culture. Without such a
\nfeeling of affinity and respect, no cooperative relationship
\ncould be built. Furthermore, both countries share common
\ninterests. For that reason, I am convinced that what is good for
\nIndonesia is also good for Japan, and what is good for Japan is
\nalso good for Indonesia. To think of the Japan - Indonesia
\nrelationship, Japan will certainly not impose its own way of
\nthinking in giving assistance to Indonesia's efforts towards
\neconomic recovery and the implementation of various reforms.
\nJapan is cooperating with Indonesia as a true partner who wants
\nto \"think together, and walk together\" with Indonesia. Indonesia
\nis now going through a period of transition in which it will face
\nchallenges. I hope that the Indonesians pull together, bracing
\nthemselves to aptly face the challenges, in order to achieve
\npolitical stability, economic development, and the advancement of
\ndemocratization.<\/p>",
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