REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TOKYO -- Indonesian Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel is visiting Japan to seek more investment from that country in line with the Indonesian government's working plan for the next five years.
"I came to speak with principles (company leaders) that have invested in Indonesia on how they can increase their investment," he said on the sidelines of his working visit here on Sunday.
He said he would speak on how to develop Japanese investment especially for the next five years to increase projects that would give an added value to Indonesian products.
The minister said he hoped the increasing investment could help the trade ministry's plan to increase non-oil/gas exports by 300 percent in the next five years.
"First, we will discuss about and present President Joko Widodo's vision and how investment in the future will go in line with the government's plan regarding food and maritime sovereignty and infrastructure development," he said.
One of the aims is increasing the added value, he said adding that Japan has a post-harvest technology, as well as increasing domestic production that could later be processed into products with a high added value.
"Our population growth is high. The question now is how we can add the highest value to the country's resources," he said.
While in Japan Minister Gobel plans to meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as well as Economic, Trade and Investment Minister Yoichi Miyazawa to explain about President Joko Widodo government's plan for the next five years especially in the field of trade.
He said he also plans to hold meetings with leaders from big Japanese companies that have so far cooperated with Indonesia such as Toyota, Mitsui, Itochu, Honda and Epson.
He said Toyota has so far made Indonesia its production base but the question for the future is how the company could increase its investment especially to strengthen domestic industrial structure.
"I am optimistic with Japan that has for the past 56 years of relationship shown its consistency with its investment," he said.
According to data of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), foreign investment in Indonesia from January to September 2014 reached US$21.7 billion.
Japan is still ranked second with total investment reaching US$2.0 billion below Singapore with its investment recorded at US$4.9 billion.
The Netherlands is ranked third with its investment totaling US$11.5 billion, followed by Britain US$1.4 billion and Malaysia US$983.9 million.
Compared with the 2013 data the realization of Japanese investment was recorded at US$3.6 billion or 17.2 percent of the total foreign investment which was above that of Singapore which totaled US$3.2 billion.
The third position was taken by the US with its investment reaching US$2.0 billion or 9.4 percent of total foreign investment, followed by South Korea at US$1.6 million or 7.7 percent and Britain at US$1.0 billion or 4.6 percent.
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