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resident Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono used the opportunity during his visit to Japan to express the deep empathy of his nation for the sufferings of the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

He said the Japanese people and their government had always provided quick and substantial assistance when Indonesia had been hit by disasters in the past, including the 2004 tsunami that devastated Aceh.

“I have been to Japan four times during my presidency. But this time, I have come solely for the purpose of extending our heartfelt support and expressing Indonesia’s solidarity and admiration for Japan, in this darkest hour of the post-tsunami crisis,” Yudhoyono said on Friday as quoted by Antara.

The President addressed a public lecture at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies titled “Responding to International Challenges, Strengthening Indonesia-Japan Relations” before an audience of 300 people.

The President pointed out that Indonesians understood very well how it felt to be affected by a tsunami, recalling the tsunami that devastated Aceh and Nias Islands, North Sumatra, in 2004. A 9.1-magnitude earthquake triggered a monstrous tsunami that hit Aceh and nearby Nias and the Mentawai Islands on Dec. 26, 2004, as well as other nations across the Indian Ocean region.

The 2004 tsunami killed more than 130,000 people in Aceh province alone. It killed at least 210,000 people across the region, including in places as far away as Sri Lanka and India. The catastrophe displaced hundreds of thousands more and almost entirely wiped out buildings and infrastructure in Aceh
and Nias.

“You should know that no one can ever be ready for a disasters of the scale that have occurred in Indonesia and Japan. And, the emotional pain will be with us for quite some time. Feelings of sorrow, sadness and even helplessness will overwhelm you. Give yourselves a moment to weap,” Yudhoyono said.

“After the Aceh tsunami, we in Indonesia experienced a series of other natural disasters — [more] tsunamis, earthquakes, forest fires, floods and landslides. Over time, we somehow evolved a ‘crisis mentality’, which made us more prepared, psychologically and organizationally, in dealing with the many facets of disasters,” the President said.

The President, who came at the invitation of Japanese Emperor Akihito and was accompanied by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, arrived in Tokyo on Thursday and is scheduled to leave on Saturday. He also met with Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Friday.

Before leaving Japan, Yudhoyono will visit the city of Kesennuma in Miyagi prefecture and other areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.

Yudhoyono is also scheduled to present letters from children in Aceh to children in Japan affected by the earthquake and tsunami and will give Japan US$2 million in aid for post-earthquake infrastructure development.

“Indonesia is ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with Japan in any way we can. Just as Japanese volunteers came to Indonesia and helped us with sincere hearts during the tsunami, Indonesia has sent volunteers, funds and materials for Japan,” he said.

Former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, who is also chairman of the Japan-Indonesia Friendship Association, expressed his appreciation to Yudhoyono when paying a courtesy call to the President at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo Friday.

Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto also expressed his gratitude for Indonesia’s attention to Japan.

“I hope this meeting and all activities [that have been done] can increase our bilateral relations,” Yudhoyono said when greeting Matsumoto.