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

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.