Presenting innovations, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo launched the integrated bilateral economic cooperation data platform JAIPONG – Japan Indonesia Partnership Lounge. This event was held virtually from Tokyo and was attended by around 1,000 participants from Japanese and Indonesian business circles.
Carried out as part of the “Indonesia – Japan Virtual Business Forum” (IJBF) activity, the launch of the JAIPONG Dashboard was officially opened by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia Designate Heri Akhmadi and presented a video message from the Governor of Bank Indonesia, the Minister of Trade, and the Head of the Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).
The digital platform is an effort to present innovation in economic diplomacy developed by the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo in collaboration with the Bank Indonesia Representative Office in Tokyo.
The initiative has been supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade and BKPM. This collaboration is part of a joint effort to realise the vision of Indonesia Incorporated through collaboration and synergy between government agencies and related stakeholders.
The bilateral relations between Indonesia and Japan have so far been focused on the economic sector. For Indonesia, Japan is a major strategic partner in trade and investment. Japan is Indonesia’s second-largest trading partner with a value of USD 16.2 billion in January – August 2020 and the country of origin for the second largest investment in Indonesia with a cumulative value in 2014 – Q2 2020 of USD 26.46 billion.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Foreign Minister, Mahendra Siregar, the keynote speaker said, “In the midst of the global crisis due to the current pandemic, it is very important that all parties can take advantage of the crisis situation as a catalyst to encourage breakthroughs, including innovation in the use of digital technology to seize economic opportunities.”
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasised the importance of virtual tools that can bridge the need for information on business players in Japan regarding investment policies and opportunities, as well as support the efforts of Indonesian business players to enter the Japanese market.
Synergy, transformation and innovation are 3 keywords in taking advantage of various opportunities from the global economy and the increasingly vibrant digitalisation for the benefit of the national economy, opined the Governor of Bank Indonesia.
The Minister of Trade, Agus Suparmanto, underscored the need to continue to drive the trade sector through the use of digital technology, “We are optimistic that creative steps combined with digital technology will be able to contribute to increased exports.”
The launch of the JAIPONG Dashboard is seen as a step that reaffirms the Indonesian government’s commitment to facilitate Japanese investors in Indonesia end-to-end. The Capital Investment Coordinating Board is serious about providing various facilities for doing business in Indonesia, not only in terms of licensing and non-licensing but also in terms of infrastructure availability for Japanese companies wishing to diversify their factories to Indonesia.
JAIPONG is expected to become a one-stop hub to provide comprehensive information regarding various opportunities for economic cooperation between Indonesia and Japan, with data presented in a Current, Reliable, Accurate, Timely (CRAT) manner.
After launching the JAIPONG Dashboard, IJBF continued with two parallel integrated trade and investment promotion sessions. Trade promotion was carried out in collaboration with the ASEAN Japan Center (AJC) in Tokyo, focused on efforts to encourage market access for Indonesian coffee products to the Japanese market. According to the plan, the follow-up to this activity will be carried out in the form of virtual business matching by taking advantage of the momentum of the Virtual Trade Expo Indonesia in November 2020.
The investment session focused on waste-to-energy investment projects and featured 5 (five) investment projects carried out by 4 (four) Provincial Governments, namely DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central Java and South Sulawesi.
In other similar digital endeavours that encourage international business, the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh held an online Indonesia Product and Tourism in Cambodia (INDOPROCAM) Business Matching that brought together 12 entrepreneurs from Indonesia and 19 Cambodian entrepreneurs (13/10/2020).
INDOPROCAM focuses on the F&B, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and supplement sectors, as well as medical equipment, considering that these sectors are primary needs during a pandemic. An initiative of the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh, INDOPROCAM is designed to facilitate the dissemination of information related to Indonesian goods and services as well as Indonesian tourist destinations social media.
In addition to the means of disseminating information on Indonesian products in Cambodia and a platform to conduct business matching between sellers (Indonesian) and buyers (Cambodian). In the future, the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh will develop INDOPROCAM into a platform for trade, tourism and investment fairs, as well as a virtual business forum in Cambodia.
