Prabowo Heads to Japan, Set to Meet Emperor Naruhito
President Prabowo Subianto departed from Jakarta for Japan on Sunday morning, 29 March 2026. According to the Presidential Secretariat, Prabowo, accompanied by a limited entourage, took off from the Indonesian National Armed Forces Air Base at Halim Perdanakusuma, East Jakarta, around 10:35 WIB.
The Head of State’s departure was seen off directly by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi, TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto, and National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo. Meanwhile, accompanying Prabowo on the flight to Japan were Foreign Minister Sugiono, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, and Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya.
Teddy stated that President Prabowo is scheduled to carry out a series of state activities during his visit to the Land of the Cherry Blossom. “One of them is that President Prabowo will make a state call to Japanese Emperor Naruhito,” Teddy said in his statement.
Subsequently, Prabowo is also scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The meeting between Prabowo and Sanae Takaichi is planned to take place at Akasaka Palace, Tokyo.
The meeting is expected to serve as a momentum to strengthen cooperation between Indonesia and Japan in various fields. “There are several cooperations in the fields of investment, energy, maritime, and digital,” Teddy said.
Prabowo is scheduled to visit Japan from 29 to 31 March. This visit to Japan by Prabowo marks his first as President of Indonesia. Previously, in September 2025, Prabowo visited Expo 2025 Osaka in Kansai, Japan, in a personal capacity.
Visit to South Korea
After completing the series of visits to Japan, President Prabowo is scheduled to continue his journey to South Korea. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that Prabowo will visit the Land of the Ginseng from 31 March to 2 April 2026. The visit is aimed at discussing bilateral relations with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
Citing Yonhap, spokesperson for the South Korean President, Kang Yu-jung, in a written statement said that the two leaders will discuss practical cooperation in various fields, including trade, investment, defence and security industries, intellectual property imitation, infrastructure, shipbuilding, nuclear energy, energy transition, and the cultural sector.
Additionally, it was mentioned that President Prabowo and President Lee Jae Myung will discuss ways to enhance relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Korea. Then, the two are planned to discuss the security situation and other global issues, including those regarding the Korean Peninsula and West Asia.