Tokyo's support for Jakarta to continue
Tokyo's support for Jakarta to continue
TOKYO (Dow Jones): Japan and Indonesia discussed new financial aid from Tokyo to Jakarta in a meeting Tuesday but didn't talk in terms of concrete numbers, officials who attended the meeting said.
Indonesian Senior Economics Minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita, speaking with a small group of reporters after meeting with Japanese Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga, said he was told that Tokyo support for Indonesia would continue despite the coming change in Japan's government.
"We were reassured by that," Ginandjar said.
Asked if the subject of new financial aid from Japan was discussed in the meeting, Ginandjar said, "Yes, in general."
He added that he expects to have "more detailed discussions" when he meets with Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Eisuke Sakakibara later on the day.
A Ministry of Finance official briefing reporters on condition of anonymity said Matsunaga and Ginandjar discussed new assistance, "but no concrete numbers were brought up."
The official, who sat in on the meeting, also said that it would "take some time" to cobble together supplemental assistance to Jakarta. At the same time, he acknowledged that the international community should move on the matter with alacrity.
Indonesia is seeking between $4 billion and $6 billion in additional assistance from the international community.
Ginandjar, on a roadshow that took him to Washington last week, has been trying to round up support for the new aid, which likely would be arranged through multilateral channels under the International Monetary Fund.
The finance ministry official said Matsunaga responded to Ginandjar's request for new assistance by saying "Japan will continue to provide support for Indonesia."
Before meeting with Matsunaga Tuesday, Ginandjar earlier met with Minister for International Trade and Industry Mitsuo Horiuchi and Taku Yamasaki, head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's policy affairs research council.
"I also received assurances from them that they would continue to support Indonesian reform efforts," Ginandjar said.