Indonesia expects Japan's investment in the construction of a new capital city and renewable energy projects. Indonesia's new capital city mega project has been estimated to cost around 32 billion U.S. dollars.

by Nurul Ramadhan

JAKARTA, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo has been expecting Japan's investment on the construction of a new capital city and renewable energy projects.

The message was conveyed by President Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, directly to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java province, on Friday, during the Japanese prime minister's visit to Indonesia as part of his tour to Southeast Asian countries.

Indonesia's new capital city mega project has been estimated to cost around 466 trillion rupiahs (about 32 billion U.S. dollars).

Previously, Japan's SoftBank Group, a noted investor, was reportedly ready to invest no less than 30 billion dollars on the construction of the new capital but pulled out from the plan in March.

Japan has been one of the largest investors in Indonesia for years, particularly in the infrastructure sector. Among Japan-Indonesia's ongoing joint projects are the Jakarta mass rapid transit (MRT) in the current capital city and the Patimban Port in Subang district, West Java province, for which Japan and Indonesia agreed on additional loans in yen.

Widodo also hoped for more expansion projects with Japan in other sectors, such as energy, cement industry, as well as farming and health technologies.

"In terms of energy and environment, I expect Japan can help us accelerate the energy transition agenda through investment in renewable energy, like hydrogen, biomass and ethanol," Widodo said at a joint press conference with Kishida after their meeting.

Widodo also expressed a special hope to Kishida for wide access for Indonesia's fishery and farming products to enter Japan's market.

Both countries have also agreed to address the Russia-Ukraine ongoing conflict in the Group of 20 (G20) Presidency that will take place in Indonesia's Bali resort island at the end of October, of which Indonesia will become the host country.

"We will use the G20 Presidency as a catalyst to address humanitarian issues and global economic recovery. The war in Ukraine must end soon, and we must together create a conducive situation so that we can reach a peaceful resolution," Widodo said.

"Until now, Japan has received various supplies, such as coal, from Indonesia, and we thanked it for that. For the future, we will continue to cooperate regarding the zero-emission concept," Kishida said.