Japan and Indonesia on Tuesday signed a deal enabling exports of Japanese-made defense equipment to the Southeast Asian country as they try to boost cooperation amid China's rising assertiveness in regional waters.
The accord on the transfer of defense equipment and technology was signed after the foreign and defense ministers of Japan and Indonesia met in Tokyo for so-called two-plus-two talks, the second of their kind between the two countries since 2015.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he hopes the pact will be the "foundation of further security cooperation between the two countries," when he met Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto ahead of the two-plus-two meeting between the four ministers.