Indonesia is very near and dear to Japanese Ambassador Fujita

By Riyadi

Ambassador Kimio Fujita recently completed his tenure of office as head of the Japanese mission in Indonesia. Before leaving the country, Ambassador Fujita agreed to give an interview with The Jakarta Post to reflect on his nearly two year term in Indonesia.

JAKARTA (JP): A foreigner singing Indonesian songs on television is nothing unusual, but when a foreign ambassador sings them it becomes a very special occasion.

Outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, Kimio Fujita, left a deep impression on Indonesian TV viewers when he appeared on TVRI to sing Melati Di Tapal Batas (Jasmine in The Border) and Saputangan Dari Bandung Selatan (A Handkerchief from Southern Bandung), both written by Ismail Marzuki.

"I can sing them without reading text," said 61-year old Fujita, who served here for one year and eight months.

Although the ambassadorship was his first assignment in Indonesia, he had visited the country on and off many times.

Fujita spent most of his 38 year career as a member of the Japanese government, dealing with Asia in general and especially Indonesian economic development cooperation.

His term in Indonesia has been relatively short as he has now been designated to become president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

"Indonesia has always been very close to me. As a visitor, I have been here dozens of times, from 1969 up till now. So, Indonesia has never left me," he said. "You know Indonesia has always been very near," said the ambassador who lists golf as one of his favorite pastimes.

Indonesia's democratization process was one of his major concerns during his term here, he said.

"You know almost everything is printed in the newspapers," he said. "Of course you have press bans and so on, but this is just a side story (of democratization). But the general direction of democratization is very impressive."

He quoted one of the most senior, high-ranking Japanese officials who visited Jakarta as saying, "Well, Indonesian mass media's reporting is just like in Europe or the U.S. Everything is here, even opposition to the government is reported."

Fujita noted that one of the most impressive events during his posting here was when President Soeharto, in his capacity as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, visited Tokyo last year for a meeting with some of the leaders of the Group of Seven industrial nations at their annual summit.

"This visit is an historic event because Soeharto tried to resume and revitalize the North-South dialog. We Japanese and other G-7 countries admire the courage and farsighted leadership of President Soeharto. As ambassador to Indonesia, I was able to be a witness on this historic occasion. I'm very happy to be there."

Fujita said the state of bilateral relations between Japan and Indonesia is more than satisfying. The two countries have always been politically friendly and economically complement each other.

Indonesia supplies many basic raw materials to Japan including petroleum, natural gas, timber and rubber.

Japan, besides being Indonesia's major trading partner, is also an important supplier of capital, both official and private.

Indonesia is the largest recipient of Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) and is considered the most successful recipient. Almost all the ODA programs in agriculture, irrigation, and construction of power stations and roads have been successfully carried out.

Indonesia is also one of the largest destinations for Japanese private investment.

In the cultural sector, more and more Japanese are learning Indonesian. Correspondingly, more interest in Japan and the Japanese language has grown here, especially among young Indonesians.

"If you look back during my stay here, this trend has developed quite satisfactorily. I'm happy with the current status and of course there is more to be developed between the two nations," Fujita said.

Commenting on the formation of Japan's new coalition government, Fujita said that all the prime ministers and foreign ministers in successive cabinets have again and again confirmed that Japan's basic foreign policy will not be changed.

"So, I assure you that our basic foreign policy will not be changed, especially our relationship with Indonesia. Even before the formation of the new government, most parties in Japan shared the opinion of the importance of maintaining and strengthening the relationship with Indonesia."

Asked about his personal goals, the ambassador responded: "Well, as I'm already 61, there are not so many years left for me. So it's a little late to have ambitions."

"But I would like to maintain my personal interest in Indonesia, and also keep up my relations with my Indonesian friends and keep singing Indonesian lagu-lagu (songs)."