Japan's new leader more positive on RI
Japan's new leader more positive on RI
JAKARTA (JP): The new leadership in Japan under the Liberal
Democratic Party (LDP) is likely to be even more positive towards
Indonesia, an international relations expert said yesterday.
Hero U. Kuntjoro Jakti, executive director for the Center for
Japanese Studies at the University of Indonesia, said the LDP-led
government in Japan will maintain its' focus and pay close
attention to Indonesia.
The conservative LDP is very close to big businesses in Japan
and thus would likely secure their interests abroad, including in
Indonesia, Hero said.
"There's already too much at stake, too much money invested in
Indonesia," Hero said, explaining why he thought the new
administration in Tokyo would maintain a strong interest in
Indonesia.
He was responding to the news from Tokyo yesterday that
Socialist Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama was resigning.
Murayama's likely successor, according to reports from Tokyo,
was current Minister of Trade and Industry Ryutaro Hashimoto from
the LDP, the biggest faction in the ruling coalition.
Hero said the ascendancy of 58-year old Hashimoto is not
expected to affect Indonesian-Japanese relations in business and
politics.
Japan is Indonesia's main trading partner, its biggest aid
donor country, and provides the largest private investment in
Indonesia. In December, Tokyo signed an agreement to provide
US$1.7 billion in fresh aid for Indonesia.
The two governments have agreed to expand relations between
the two countries in the cultural field.
Speaking on the style of leadership likely to arise, Hero
believes that Hashimoto will maintain his strong conviction
against fighting U.S. dominance in region.
He pointed that as trade minister, Hashimoto was very strong
in resisting American demands for market concessions to redress
the huge deficit the United States has in its trade with Japan.
Even in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum --
of which the U.S., Japan and Indonesia are all members --
Hashimoto has made efforts to ensure that it is not dominated by
Washington, Hero said. (mds)