Japanese ambassador to Indonesia will move to China: 'Kyodo'

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yutaka Iimura will soon be moving to Beijing, the Kyodo news agency reported from Tokyo over the weekend, citing government sources.

Iimura, 57, will replace Ambassador Koreshige Anami in Beijing most probably in August when the current extended Diet session ends, the sources said.

Anami, one of the Japan's top diplomats and an authority on Chinese affairs, has been working as the ambassador to China since January 2001.

Iimura, an experienced career diplomat who submitted his credentials to then Indonesian president Megawati Soekarnoputri on Aug. 26, 2002, is not known as a China expert. But according to the sources, Iimura's experience as the head of the Economic Cooperation Bureau and in other areas was taken into consideration in appointing him to such a prestigious as well as strategic post in Asia.

It is not immediately known who will replace Iimura in Jakarta.

During Iimura's 3-year tenure as ambassador to Indonesia, the relations between Japan and Indonesia reached new heights.

For example, bilateral trade between the two countries jumped to US$22.04 billion in 2004 from $16.45 billion in 2002.

Japan, Indonesia's largest donor, is the main export market for Indonesian products, with the value of exports rising to $15.96 billion last year compared to $13.60 billion in 2003. The balance of trade has been in favor of Indonesia for several years.

Japanese investment in Indonesia increased by over 300 percent to $1.68 billion in 2004 from $518.5 million in 2002.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Indonesia in April 2005 and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was in Tokyo last month to strengthen bilateral ties and sign an Economic Partnership Agreement.