Indonesia, Japan sign defense cooperation arrangement

Indonesia and Japan on Monday signed a Defense Cooperation Arrangement (DCA) as the defense chiefs of two sides met in Jakarta, according to an official statement.

Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin hosted his Japanese counterpart Koizumi Shinjiro for high-level talks.

The two sides "welcomed the steady strengthening of defense cooperation, including people-to-people exchanges, education, capacity building, and joint exercises between the defense authorities, under the framework of the comprehensive strategic partnership," read the press statement by the two ministers.

The DCA aims to "further promote mutually beneficial bilateral defense cooperation and contributing to the peace and stability of both countries and the region," it said.

The arrangement, among other areas, includes enhanced cooperation in maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, as well as defense equipment and technology cooperation.

Notably, Japan, in an unprecedented decision last month, eased defense equipment regulations.

The two sides also discussed establishing "Integrated Defense Dialogue Mechanism" to deepen the defense partnership between the two countries in an integrated and comprehensive manner.

The two ministers also "concurred on enhancing discussions on measures to protect classified military information, with a view to strengthening operational cooperation."

They also "concurred that, when necessary to ensure the security of both countries and peace and stability in the region, both sides would consult with each other," the statement added.

Emphasizing ASEAN centrality, the two ministers concurred on proceeding with discussions on cooperation within multilateral frameworks, including trilateral cooperation between Australia, Indonesia, and Japan, in addition to other frameworks including ASEAN defense ministers' meeting plus.