Japan Expects Stronger Bilateral Ties With Indonesia Under New President

Jakarta, Oct 20 (Antara) - Japan expected stronger bilateral relationship with Indonesia under new President Joko Widodo`s "Jokowi" administrative, said Japan`s special envoy. The Japan`s special envoy to attend the inauguration of President Jokowi, former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, said here on Monday, that Japan and Indonesia have already strong foundation to continue further their cooperation. "Actually, I attended the inauguration of (former) President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ten years ago, and at the present I see a vibrant bilateral relationship of Japan and Indonesia is getting stronger," Fukuda said. Therefore, Fukuda also praised former president Yudhoyono who had brought Indonesia into a more developed country in terms of political and economic stability. "I am very happy of being here, as this is the start of new era for Japan and Indonesia bilateral relationship," he noted. Fukuda also impressed to the enthusiasm of the Indonesian people who were waiting for their new President after the inauguration, and the excitement of their support through folk parade. According to the Minister of Japanese Embassy in Indonesia, Yusuke Shindo, Fukuda arrived in Jakarta on Sunday (Oct 19), aimed to meet Jokowi and Yudhoyono prior to the inauguration, but unfortunately both of them had been very busy. Besides former prime minister Fukuda, six heads of state also attended the inauguration of President Jokowi and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, including Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Timor Leste`s President Taur Mata Huak, Papua New Guinea`s Prime Minister Peter O`Neill, Australia`s Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and Singapore`s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Besides the six heads of state, the inauguration was also attended by some special envoys from Indonesia`s partner countries, including US Foreign Minister John Kerry , Philippines Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully, Deputy of China`s People`s Congress, Thailand`s Deputy Prime Minister, Sri Lanka`s Industry Minister, Russian Industry and Trade Minister, Turkey`s Trade Minister, and dignitaries from the Netherlands, Vietnam, South Korea, and Canada. Joko Widodo was inaugurated as the seventh president and Jusuf Kalla as the twelfth vice president of Indonesia. Jokowi and his running mate JK won the presidential election on July 9 after securing 70,997,833 votes, or 53.15 percent of the total 133,574,277 votes, while their rivals, Prabowo Subianto and his partner Hatta Rajasa, secured 62,576,444 votes, or 46.85 percent of the total.