Japan adds Indonesia to ‘network of navies’ after Australia, Philippines

Indonesia sits at the confluence of the world’s busiest sea lanes. Its coastline stretches nearly 55,000km (34,000 miles) and its waters encompass the Malacca and Lombok straits, chokepoints through which trillions of US dollars in global trade pass annually.Yet for years the nation’s navy has lacked the subsurface awareness to monitor, let alone counter, what moves beneath the waves.Japan intends to change that. Tokyo confirmed on June 5 that the two countries had agreed to begin formal talks on the possible transfer of Asagiri-class destroyers to the Indonesian Navy, following a meeting between their defence ministers, Shinjiro Koizumi and Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.The JS Asagiri, lead ship of Japan’s Asagiri-class destroyers, heads a fleet review in Sagami Bay in 1997. Photo: AFPA working-level framework established in May is set to guide discussions on training, maintenance and operational integration.