Indonesia lifts restrictions on food imports from Japan

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Indonesia has lifted all import restrictions on food products from Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday.

Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Jakarta imposed restrictions on food items from seven Japanese provinces.

“The lifting of import restrictions encourages people in the disaster-hit areas,” Kishida said.

The announcement came after a summit-level meeting between Kishida and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Kyodo News reported.

Kishida said he and Widodo “reaffirmed cooperation toward realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, with Japan vowing to help further strengthen maritime security in the region.”

“I hope bilateral security cooperation, including defense exchanges, will further advance,” he said.

He added that next month Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force will, for the first time, take part in a multinational military joint exercise in Indonesia.

Next year Japan and Indonesia mark the 65th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.

Widodo arrived in Japan after an official visit to China and will travel to South Korea before meeting Japan’s Emperor Naruhito.

The Indonesian president asked for Japan to “ease or abolish” tariffs on Indonesian tuna, pineapples and bananas.

He also expressed condolences over the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot during an election campaign earlier this month.

This November, Indonesia will host the G20 summit in Bali.

Jakarta has invited both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the summit despite Russia’s ongoing war on its neighbor.​​​​​​​