Japan, Indonesia continue frigate talks looking to boost defense-industrial ties
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami frigate is docked at the MSDF's base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, earlier this month. | GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ
BY
GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ
STAFF WRITER
Apr 21, 2025
Talks between Tokyo and Jakarta on the potential joint development and production of advanced frigates for the Indonesian Navy continue at the highest levels of government, the Southeast Asian nation’s envoy to Japan has said, as the two countries seek to deepen defense-industrial ties.
After Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani discussed the issue on separate visits to Jakarta earlier this year, the topic is also set to be high on the agenda when the Self-Defense Forces’ top uniformed officer, Chief of Staff Yoshihide Yoshida, visits Indonesia later this month, Ambassador Heri Akhmadi told The Japan Times in a recent interview.
Efforts to procure and co-produce a customized variant of Japan’s Mogami-class frigates — which Tokyo also hopes to export to Australia — remain a priority for the administration of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Akhmadi said.
Prabowo, who is expected to visit Japan later this year, first expressed interest in cooperating with Japan on warship construction when he traveled to the country as defense minister in 2021 to sign a memorandum of cooperation on defense tech and equipment transfers.
Tokyo’s project proposal,
reportedly valued at ¥300 billion, would involve building four of the frigates in Japan, with an equal number to be built in the Southeast Asian country by state-owned shipyard PT PAL to meet navy requirements.
However, talks stalled during the previous Indonesian administration due to the COVID-19 pandemic and financial constraints tied to Indonesia's ambitious project to relocate its capital.
While Tokyo has reportedly already offered loans, the funding issue has yet to be resolved as Indonesian regulations require the government to provide 10% to 20% of the funds up front.
Nevertheless, Akhmadi points to growing momentum in the negotiations under Prabowo, particularly as Japan has been relaxing its strict defense export controls in recent years, in part to allow for the
potential sale of customized, upgraded Mogami frigates to Australia.
The ambassador said another key aspect of negotiations revolves around defense technology transfer. Jakarta is interested not just in jointly developing and producing the vessels, but also in gaining access to the Japanese technologies used in several of the systems on the Mogami-class vessels, which are among the most advanced in the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
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Akhmadi said that energy and maritime security were among the main topics discussed during Prabowo’s January meeting with Ishiba.
This, he added, also led to talks on other potential exchanges, including the possibility of Tokyo providing decommissioned Soryu-class submarines to Jakarta.
Full article:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/21/japan/politics/indonesia-ambassador-japan-interview/
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