Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako’s weeklong state visit to Indonesia, which came to an end Friday, renewed momentum for overseas travel by the imperial family and marked a positive development in relations between Japan and Southeast Asia's most populous country that could carry more than just symbolic significance.
The first trip to the country for the imperial couple, which came at the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, was just their second overseas trip since the emperor ascended to the throne and the first time the couple traveled abroad for goodwill purposes since 2002. It provided the emperor with ample opportunities to embrace Indonesian culture and foster exchanges, which he had expressed hope for prior to the couple's departure.
But it also carried a deeper meaning amid a tense security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, and marked an opportunity for him to visit a country where his parents, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko, made key visits in the past.
The couple visited the country in 1962 when they were crown prince and crown princess in an effort to restore Japan’s image after the war. They visited again in 1991, two years after Akihito ascended to the throne.
Once in Indonesia, the emperor had the chance to visit Jakarta's new high-speed railway, built with Japanese funding, and a water drainage facility in the capital, an ideal stop for a man who has dedicated his life to the study of water issues.
The empress — a former diplomat with extensive experience living and studying overseas — showed a genuine interest in trying her hand at Indonesian arts as well as conversing with young people and Japanese residents of Indonesia.
The couple appeared at ease while immersing themselves in Indonesian culture. The emperor even cracked jokes with some Indonesian students majoring in Japanese, while the empress, who has been suffering from a stress-induced illness, seemed to enjoy the exchanges with young people.
Overall, it was a fruitful visit for both of them, experts say.
“The emperor, with his will to help those in need, especially when it comes to water problems, was an easy guest,” says Yuji Otabe, honorary professor at the Shizuoka University of Welfare and an expert on the imperial family, adding that "the empress enjoys cultural exchange with young people and she was a diplomat, so she is very skilled in that.”
Amid Japan’s efforts to deepen its ties with countries in the so-called Global South, the imperial visit — which came on the 50th anniversary of Japan-ASEAN relations — made a notable contribution in strengthening bilateral ties with Indonesia, this year's ASEAN chair, says Masafumi Ishii, a special adjunct professor at Gakushuin University and a former ambassador to Indonesia.
“The fact that the emperor has traveled to Indonesia for his first goodwill visit since assuming his post has great significance both symbolically and practically,” says Ishii, adding that the Indonesian side had been looking to make the visit happen for a long time. Widodo had originally invited the emperor in 2019 but the outbreak of the coronavirus forced a postponement.
Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country with a population of over 270 million and the largest economy in Southeast Asia, has been a consistent recipient of Japan’s official development assistance and technological aid in the postwar period.
The two countries’ economies are widely seen as complementary, as Indonesia’s younger population matches with Japan’s labor shortage. Japan's technological know-how has also been widely utilized in infrastructure projects in Indonesia.
As Indonesia’s gross domestic product is eventually expected to outpace Japan's, the relationship is going to inevitably change, and Japan may need Indonesia more than the reverse, Ishii argues.
From a geopolitical perspective, Jakarta occupies a strategic significance in Tokyo’s decadelong focus on the Indo-Pacific. One of eight non-G7 countries invited to the Hiroshima summit in May, Indonesia can be a reliable partner for Japan in the future in a variety of realms, Ishii says.
“Both Japan and Indonesia are maritime nations, and for both countries ensuring safe and free navigation in the Indian Ocean is crucial,” Ishii says, referring to cooperation initiatives between the two countries’ coast guards for instance.
There are signs that the partnership goes beyond the corridors of government.
According to an opinion survey conducted last year by Japan’s Foreign Ministry in Indonesia, 59% of respondents considered Japan "an important partner." That compared favorably to those for China, at 54%, and the United States, at 46%.
Overall, while imperial trips are based on symbolic exchanges, they can also carry weightier significance.
Although, according to the Constitution, the emperor remains a strictly apolitical figure and on paper overseas visits by the imperial family are only for "goodwill and friendship" purposes, they are not entirely devoid of diplomatic significance.
Footage of the imperial couple smiling while mingling with students can be easily accepted by the people and serves the purpose of fostering mutual understanding, “but there is also a much harder side that the government is considering through the establishment of friendly relations with Indonesia in the future, and that includes the economy and the military,” Otabe says.
Unlike in the past, when apologies for Japan’s World War II militarism was a primary purpose of imperial visits, paving the way for deeper large-scale cooperation in broader fields, including the economic, diplomatic and even defense arenas, has become the de facto goal of recent visits.
“Without the approval of the Japanese government and the Imperial Household Agency, these visits wouldn’t be possible. The emperor might have a request, but in the majority of cases it’s not him first saying that he wants to go anywhere,” Otabe says.
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