KUALA LUMPUR - Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has called on Japanese investors to expand their investments, offering closer partnerships to drive growth and industrial development.

Speaking at the Indonesia - Japan Business Forum in Tokyo on Monday, Prabowo said long-standing economic ties between the two countries should be strengthened further in today’s increasingly connected world.

He said Indonesia is seeking deeper cooperation with Japan in key areas such as industrial development, renewable energy, manufacturing, and the digital economy as part of its transformation plans.

“Once again, we offer opportunities, but now we offer real partnership. We are looking for partners who are ready to join us to build industries, transfer technology, and grow together,” he said.

Prabowo said Indonesia welcomes greater Japanese involvement, especially in technology, finance, and industry, noting that such cooperation would benefit both sides.

“We believe that combined with our resources, our growth, and our scale, this relationship can be mutually beneficial to both sides. We can be complementary,” the president added.

He added that the government is improving the investment climate through deregulation and administrative reforms, including removing unnecessary rules and simplifying processes.

Prabowo said a special task force set up to solve investment issues has helped resolve many problems quickly.

“This task force has proved effective. We have resolved many problems because it goes direct,” Prabowo said.

He said Indonesia is undergoing major changes to boost competitiveness and speed up industrial growth.

Prabowo also said the country is pushing forward with renewable energy and electric mobility to strengthen energy security.

He noted that Indonesia still has about 140 million motorcycles using internal combustion engines and that the government aims to change this quickly.

“We are moving in a big way towards electric vehicles and motorcycles.

“We also want to advance our manufacturing,” he said.

He added that Indonesia remains open to trade and follows a neutral foreign policy approach.

“Our philosophy is 1,000 friends, too few; one enemy, too many,” he said, adding that Japan remains one of Indonesia’s most trusted economic partners.

At the forum, Indonesia and Japan signed 10 memoranda of understanding and strategic agreements worth USD22.6 billion across various sectors.

The agreements cover areas such as clean energy, oil and gas development, geothermal projects, financial systems, and strategic investments.

“This moment serves as a strong symbol of the commitment of Indonesian and Japanese businesses to expand concrete collaboration, while also reflecting the high level of confidence in Indonesia’s economic prospects,” he noted.

Key projects include a methanol production initiative using carbon emissions in Bontang, development of the Abadi gas field in the Masela Block, and potential upstream oil and gas partnerships involving PT Pertamina and INPEX.