Key facts
- Japan and Indonesia will begin formal talks on transferring Asagiri-class destroyers to Indonesia.
- The destroyers are optimized for hunting submarines, aiming to improve Indonesia's naval surveillance capabilities.
- The move is seen as a step towards contributing to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Indonesia has expressed interest in formalizing defense equipment cooperation with Japan.
- The initiative comes amid increased Chinese coastguard activity within Indonesia's exclusive economic zone.
Japan is set to bolster Indonesia's naval capabilities by transferring Asagiri-class destroyers, following a meeting between the two nations' defense ministers on June 5. This initiative aims to enhance Indonesia's subsurface awareness in its strategically vital waters, which include the Malacca and Lombok straits through which trillions of dollars in global trade pass annually.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stated that the destroyer transfer will expand substantive collaboration and serve as a solid step towards contributing to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. His Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, expressed a desire to formalize and give concrete shape to defense equipment cooperation with Japan.
The acquisition of these Cold War-era destroyers, specifically designed for submarine hunting, comes as China's heavily armed coastguard ships have been increasingly observed escorting fishing fleets within Indonesia's exclusive economic zone in the North Natuna Sea.