Jakarta: Indonesia and Japan on Monday signed a Defense Cooperation Arrangement (DCA) as the defense chiefs of the two countries met in Jakarta, according to an official statement. Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin hosted his Japanese counterpart Koizumi Shinjiro for high-level talks.

According to Anadolu Agency, the two sides "welcomed the steady strengthening of defense cooperation, including people-to-people exchanges, education, capacity building, and joint exercises between the defense authorities, under the framework of the comprehensive strategic partnership," as stated in the press release by the two ministers. The DCA aims to "further promote mutually beneficial bilateral defense cooperation and contribute to the peace and stability of both countries and the region."

The arrangement includes enhanced cooperation in several areas such as maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and defense equipment and technology cooperation. Notably, Japan recently eased its defense equipment regulations, marking an unprecedented decision that supports this new agreement.

Discussions were also held about establishing an "Integrated Defense Dialogue Mechanism" to deepen the defense partnership between the two countries in an integrated and comprehensive manner. The ministers agreed on enhancing discussions to protect classified military information, aiming to strengthen operational cooperation. They also agreed that, if necessary to ensure the security of both countries and regional peace and stability, both sides would consult with each other.

Emphasizing ASEAN centrality, the ministers agreed to proceed with discussions on cooperation within multilateral frameworks. This includes trilateral cooperation between Australia, Indonesia, and Japan, and participation in other frameworks such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus.