Japan to Beef Up Cooperation on Indonesia Rail Project

Jakarta, Dec. 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese and Indonesian transport ministers on Thursday agreed that the two countries will beef up cooperation on a project to speed up existing rail services in the Southeast Asian nation. "We had fruitful exchanges of opinion on strengthening cooperation on infrastructure and transportation," Japanese transport minister Keiichi Ishii said after a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Budi Karya Sumadi, in Jakarta. Budi said he appreciates the Japanese government's cooperative stance. The rail project involves shortening the traveling time in the 725-kilometer line between Jakarta and Surabaya from more than 10 hours at present to some six hours. Indonesia is counting on financial and technological cooperation from Japan. Ishii last week expressed Tokyo's willingness to cooperate on a feasibility study on the project. END