Prabowo Visits Japan at the Invitation of Emperor Naruhito
State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi stated that President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Japan is at the invitation of Emperor Naruhito. According to Prasetyo, the state visit aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various sectors.
“Regarding the President’s visit to Japan, this is to fulfil the invitation from Emperor Naruhito,” Prasetyo told the media on Sunday, 29 March 2026.
After conducting an audience with the Japanese Emperor, Prabowo is also scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Prabowo’s visit to Japan is planned to take place from 29 to 31 March.
Prasetyo explained that Prabowo, during his visit to the Land of the Rising Sun, will discuss several strategic matters that have long been the strength of cooperation between Indonesia and Japan. “For example, in terms of trade, then technology, education, and including in the scope of forestry and environmental cooperation,” said the Gerindra Party politician.
President Prabowo has left Jakarta, Indonesia, and departed for Japan on Sunday morning, 29 March 2026. According to the Presidential Secretariat, Prabowo, along with a limited entourage, took off from the Indonesian National Army Air Force Halim Perdanakusuma Base, East Jakarta, around 10:35 WIB.
President Prabowo Subianto previously stated that his various state visits abroad are for the sake of national economic interests. Prabowo is aware of the public perception that his official trips abroad so far have been ceremonial and merely “sightseeing”.
Prabowo explained this in a roundtable discussion with several journalists and experts in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.
According to Prabowo, Indonesia must nurture good relations with other countries. “If we are invited and we don’t come, it’s not good. That’s why every Indonesian president gets tired,” Prabowo said, quoted from an interview video shared by the Presidential Secretariat on Sunday, 22 March 2026.
He then added, “People think I like sightseeing there. And I also travel to protect my people.”
Prabowo claimed that behind every meeting with other heads of state, there are efforts to maintain domestic employment. According to Prabowo, foreign diplomacy today is not only about political relations but also economic relations through trade. He said that the presence of a head of state often becomes a determining factor in breaking through trade negotiations between the two parties.
His aides in the Merah Putih Cabinet, Prabowo said, are indeed tasked with handling technical matters. However, several strategic agreements can often only be achieved when there is direct communication between state leaders.
“Sometimes, when we negotiate, ‘for these goods, you have to report to our number one (leader)’. They always say that. There are important matters that must be agreed upon directly,” Prabowo stated.
The General Chairman of the Gerindra Party emphasised that Indonesia must have a strong bargaining position in every relationship with other countries. Therefore, current diplomacy is directed to become an instrument of geo-economics. “So if your relations are not good, you get all sorts of pressures,” Prabowo said.