First duty: Vice President Ma’ruf Amin (left) and his wife, Wury Estu Handayani, wave goodbye before entering the presidential aircraft that was to carry them to Japan from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta on Monday. Ma’ruf and his entourage departed for Japan to attend the enthronement of Japanese Emperor Naruhito at Seiden State Hall in the Imperial Palace, Tokyo, on Tuesday.(Antara/Aprillio Akbar)

Newly sworn-in Vice President Ma’ruf Amin surprised observers on his very first day of work on Monday by embarking on his first official overseas trip, even as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was summoning presumed candidates for his Cabinet.

Just a day after he took an oath on Sunday to serve as vice president for the next five years, Ma’ruf flew to Japan for his first overseas visit. He is to represent Jokowi at the enthronement of Japanese Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Ma'ruf and his entourage, which includes wife Wury Estu Handayani, took off from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in East Jakarta at 10 a.m. and were expected to land at Narita International Airport in the evening, according to a statement issued by the Office of the Vice President on Monday.

"I and my limited group will soon leave for Japan to represent Indonesia at the coronation ceremony of the Japanese Emperor Naruhito,” Ma’ruf said before leaving, as quoted in the press statement.

The coronation ceremony is to be attended by about 2,000 guests, including foreign leaders and representatives from more than 170 countries, such as Britain’s Prince Charles, United States Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, Reuters reported.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are also likely to attend, local media reported.

An international relations expert from Bandung’s Padjadjaran University, Teuku Rezasyah, said Ma’ruf’s visit to Japan was “surprising” considering his lack of experience in the global arena.

“This visit is quite surprising,” Rezasyah told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Rezasyah said that Ma’ruf’s political portfolio was more about domestic politics instead of foreign affairs. Moreover, he said, unlike former vice president Jusuf Kalla, Ma’ruf faced a greater challenge as he entered office at age 73, compared to when Kalla entered office at age 62.

“What we can expect from his visit to Japan is very much dependent on what Ma’ruf wants to bring to the table. He might only use the opportunity to introduce himself, or he could start talking about the balance of trade between Indonesia and Japan, as well as other bilateral issues,” he said.

Ma’ruf’s Japan visit comes as Indonesia expects the newly inaugurated President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to soon announce new Cabinet members. Jokowi has said the new ministers are to be sworn in soon, but he did not elaborate on whether that would wait until after Ma’ruf has returned to Jakarta.

Ma’ruf said, without elaborating on the reason: "After the coronation ceremony, I and the group will immediately return to Jakarta and arrive in Jakarta, God willing, on Tuesday night.”

Jokowi also said on Sunday that the Cabinet lineup was ready and he would announce it on Monday morning before Ma’ruf's departure for Japan.

However, by Monday afternoon the President still had not done so.

Jokowi, instead, summoned several high-profile figures to the State Palace, sparking speculation that he was still trying to finalize the Cabinet formation.

Former Constitutional Court justice Mahfud MD and Airlangga Hartarto, a Golkar politician and minister during Jokowi’s first term, who were both among the summoned people, revealed that the Cabinet lineup announcement and inauguration would certainly take place on Wednesday.

“On Wednesday [Jokowi] will introduce all [of the Cabinet members]. Afterwards, he will hand a presidential decree to each minister, which would then be followed by the inauguration [of the new Cabinet members],” Mahfud said at the palace complex on Monday.

Among Ma’ruf's entourage to Japan is Retno LP Marsudi, the foreign minister during Jokowi’s first tenure who was instructed by Jokowi to accompany Ma’ruf during the trip. Retno was also among the three ministers of Jokowi’s first term who accompanied the incumbent in welcoming visiting foreign leaders at the palace on Sunday, the same day Jokowi took his oath as President.

Prevailing law gives the president 14 days to complete the Cabinet formation after his inauguration.

It took about a week for Jokowi to announce the 34 figures in his Cabinet after his first inauguration as President in 2014. He and his former vice president inaugurated them on the next day.