Japan eyes government aid programme for upgrading Indonesia's fishing ports: sources
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[TOKYO] Japan is planning to use its Official Development Assistance (ODA) to help upgrade Indonesia’s fishing ports and enable coast guard patrol vessels of the South-east Asian country to make stops there, Japanese government sources said Sunday (Sep 6).
ODA is a government aid programme managed by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japan International Cooperation Agency to support developing nations through loans, grants, and technical help.
Tokyo’s support for the diversification of port operations, which would allow the Indonesian patrol vessels to operate in more areas, is aimed at bolstering Indonesia’s maritime surveillance capabilities, amid illegal fishing and smuggling in the South China Sea.
The resource-rich sea has overlapping territorial claims with other Asian countries and is a key international shipping lane. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea.
In March, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Tokyo and the two agreed to promote concrete cooperation in the economic and security fields.
During their talks, Takaichi said that her country is eager to promote maritime cooperation with Indonesia including the promotion of the fisheries industry.
The plan to provide assistance, possibly through yen loans, is in response to Indonesia’s request to use fishing ports as hubs for monitoring maritime activity, the sources said.
“Ensuring maritime security for the entire South China Sea is extremely important for Japan’s security,” a senior official of Japan’s Foreign Ministry said.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency began a preliminary study in September 2025, looking into potential areas from seven locations including Natuna Islands, located near contested waters, according to the sources.
Based on factors such as the fishing ports’ geographical importance from the standpoint of maritime monitoring, two locations will be initially chosen.
The fishing port upgrades are expected to include quay expansion and setting up of fuel installation, with development plans to be drawn up by June 2027, according to the sources.
The two countries have been strengthening their defense cooperation in recent years, with Japan’s “official security assistance” framework assisting Indonesia’s armed forces.
Under the framework, in which defence equipment is provided to like-minded countries, Japan has agreed to provide the Indonesian navy with high-speed patrol boats.
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