Megawati arrives in Tokyo to begin four-day visit
Megawati arrives in Tokyo to begin four-day visit
Agencies, Jakarta
Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri arrived in Tokyo on
Sunday for a four-day state visit to boost bilateral relations,
including trade.
Agence France-Presse reported that Megawati had no major
events on Sunday, as her four-day working visit would begin with
a welcome ceremony on Monday morning at the State Guest House,
which would be followed by a meeting with Emperor Akihito and
Empress Michiko.
Megawati is to hold talks with Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi on Tuesday to "strengthen the friendly ties between the
two nations", the foreign ministry said.
High on the agenda is the plan to launch a free trade accord
(FTA) between the two countries, officials said.
Megawati and Koizumi are likely to agree to set up a study
panel with the aim of concluding their free trade accord, Kyodo
News said, quoting Japanese government sources.
Japan already has an FTA with Singapore and has set up working
groups to study FTAs with Thailand and the Philippines.
The two leaders are also expected to agree on bilateral
cooperation to combat illegal logging in Indonesia by banning
trade in illegally felled timbers and wood products produced from
illegal logs.
On the domestic and regional security front, Koizumi and
Megawati are expected to discuss terrorism, North Korea and Aceh.
Koizumi is likely to seek Megawati's full support for Japan's
efforts to press North Korea to abandon its nuclear arms program
and to return all Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korean
agents during the Cold War era.
In return, Megawati is likely to brief the Japanese premier
about the war in Aceh and ask for Japan's continued support in
Indonesia's territorial integrity over Aceh.
Japan hosted a two-day meeting between the Indonesian
government and Aceh separatists two weeks ago that failed to
achieve peace.
According to Antara, Megawati is also scheduled to hold
separate talks with Japanese Minister of Trade and Industry Takeo
Hiranuma, Minister of Finance Masajuro Shiokawa and State
Minister on Information Technology Hiroyuki Hosoda.
During the visit, the President will also meet with Yokohama
Mayor Fusekawa Yukio and hold a meeting with the Japanese
business community.
Joining Megawati's entourage are Coordinating Minister for the
Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, Minister of Energy and Mineral
Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Minister of Industry and Trade
Rini Soewandi and Minister of Forestry Mohamad Prakosa.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda is slated to join
the entourage on Monday, as he had just finished attending the
Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial Meeting
in Cambodia.
Megawati is bringing around 90 people in her entourage.
Japan is the third leg of the President's 10-day overseas
trip, after Bangladesh and Mongolia.
On Wednesday, she will continue her overseas trip to Vietnam
to sign a continental shelves agreement over the waters off the
Natuna Islands.