JAKARTA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Japan would strengthen its relation with ASEAN and increase investment in Indonesia, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda quoted Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada as saying on Tuesday evening here.

Abuilding industry association said soaring cement prices have been seriously hampering the progress of construction projects throughout the country. “The failure [by the government] to control cement prices is deplorable, as it affects small, mid-size and large-scale contractors,” said Ahmad Hanafiah, the secretary general of the Indonesian Builders Association (Gapensi).

Creative industries need support to grow: Minister The country’s emerging creative industries need support from banking and non-banking institutions to flourish, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu says. “These industries need capital to grow, as well as the protection of their intellectual property rights and promotion,” Mari told a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. Such industries had a great chance of success in Indonesia because “the market has high potential”, she said.

The government has launched a website aimed at creative industry players and others interested in meeting in the cyber world and gaining information about the industry. “We need a database to record all creative communities. Physical meetings [between them] already exist, which is good. But cyber meetings are also necessary,” Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said Tuesday at a press conference to launch the site. “This [website] belongs to all of us.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:PT Bukit Asam yesterday signed a long-term coal transportation agreement with state-owned railway company PTKA. The agreement included additional transport capacity from 10 million tons to 20 million tons per year for Tanjung Enim South Sumatera - Tarahan, Lampung route, and from 2 million tons to 2,7 million tons per year for the Tanjung Enim-Kertapati South Sumatera route.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The government plans to improve sea transportation facilities in some areas to develop the potential of local economies. Optimizing inter-island system of distribution is expected to strengthen and sustain the national economy.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The House of Representatives (DPR) for the 2009 - 2014 term is planning to revise Law No. 22 / 2001 on Oil and Natural Gas because it is viewed to be no longer suitable in light of latest developments in the oil and gas industry. DPR member Airlanga Hartarto in a discussion here on Tuesday said revision of the law was one of the recommendations issued by the Special Fuel Oil Inquiry Committee of the House of Representatives some time ago.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government predicts that investment in the country will begin to increase in the third quarter of 2009 and play a role in national economic growth, a cabinet minister said. "Investment is expected to increase but it is likely not more than five percent," Acting Chief Economic Minister Sri Mulyani said here on Tuesday. She said that the composition of economic growth contributors in the third quarter would not be much different from those in the second quarter of 2009.