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Japanese companies to step up investment in RI
Japanese companies vowed to increase their investment in Indonesia, particularly in the manufacturing, infrastructure, service and automotive sectors, during a meeting with Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi on Thursday
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apanese companies vowed to increase their investment in Indonesia, particularly in the manufacturing, infrastructure, service and automotive sectors, during a meeting with Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi on Thursday.
A delegation of 46 members of Keidanren (the Japanese Business Federation) met Retno at the Foreign Ministry, including the CEOs of 18 top Japanese companies such as Toyota Motor Corp, Mitsubishi Corp, Asahi Group Holdings and Toshiba Corp, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
During the meeting, also attended by Deputy Foreign Minister AM Fachir, several members of Keidanren revealed their plans to open new manufacturing plants in Indonesia.
Among them is Asahi Holdings Group, which plans to build a drinking water and green tea production factory in Sukabumi, West Java, in cooperation with PT Indofood. The investment is estimated at Rp 700 billion (US$542.44 million).
Toyota Group revealed their plan to build a new bus manufacturing factory at a cost of Rp 20 trillion. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi plans to build a new manufacturing factory in Tangerang, Banten, to produce three car models.
All the companies plan to market their products in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
The visit followed President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's trip to Japan in late March and reflects high Japanese confidence in increasing investment to Indonesia, the ministry explained.
'Japan, the second-largest foreign investor after Singapore, should become Indonesia's largest investor once more. [The minister] hopes that these initiatives will lead to the companies making Indonesia the basis of production for ASEAN,' the ministry said.
The ministry added that with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community at the end of 2015, Japanese investors would have a larger market in Indonesia, with a share of 600 million people.
Before the meeting with Retno, the Keidanren delegation met with Jokowi on Wednesday.
Keidanren is an exclusive Japanese economic organization, with a membership roll of 1,309 companies, 112 national industrial associations and 47 regional economic organizations. (dyl/nvn)(+++)
