Japan and Indonesia have agreed to explore sharing sensitive maritime information and accelerate talks on exporting Japanese destroyers.
On Friday, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi met Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin during his visit to the country. The Japanese Defense Ministry announced the agreement on Saturday.
Koizumi said boosting Indonesia's maritime deterrence would contribute to peace and stability for Japan and beyond. Prabowo agreed on the need for maritime security collaboration and expressed hope for concrete progress on defense equipment cooperation.
The defense chiefs agreed last week to start working-level talks on exporting Asagiri-class destroyers. They also concurred on pursuing a comprehensive partnership covering training, maintenance and operations. The destroyers can carry a helicopter and anti-submarine missiles, with the first vessel entering service in 1988.
