EduAsiaNews, Shenzhen China – The Governments of Indonesia and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the forestry sector during a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the 2026 APEC Ministerial Meeting on Forestry (FTMM) in Shenzhen, China, on Monday (July 27).
The Indonesian delegation was led by Laksmi Wijayanti, Director General of Sustainable Forest Management at Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry, while the Japanese delegation was headed by Eiji Tanimura, Deputy Director-General of the Forestry Agency of Japan.
During the meeting, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the longstanding partnership in forestry. Indonesia expressed its appreciation for the Japanese Government’s continued support, particularly through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in implementing sustainable forest management programs, community-based forest and land fire prevention initiatives, and mangrove management to support climate change adaptation.
One of the key agenda items was the development of collaboration on the World Mangrove Center (WMC). Indonesia proposed expanding its partnership with Japan to support the WMC as a global hub for mangrove ecosystem management through collaborative research, capacity building, knowledge exchange, and innovation aimed at climate change mitigation and adaptation. The initiative is expected to become one of the tangible outcomes of Indonesia–Japan forestry cooperation.
Indonesia also presented several additional priority initiatives, including cooperation in national park management through the Sister Park initiative, the organization of a Joint National Park Workshop, strengthened biodiversity conservation efforts, and progress in wildlife conservation cooperation related to the proposed loan of Komodo dragons to Japan, while fully adhering to Indonesia’s national regulations and international animal welfare standards.
The two countries further discussed enhancing cooperation in combating illegal logging and promoting trade in legally verified and sustainably produced forest products. Discussions also covered strengthening dialogue on the interoperability of Indonesia’s Timber Legality and Sustainability Verification System (SVLK) with Japan’s timber legality requirements under the Clean Wood Act.
Director General Laksmi Wijayanti emphasized Indonesia’s commitment to ensuring that bilateral cooperation delivers concrete and mutually beneficial outcomes.
“Indonesia believes that our bilateral cooperation should focus on tangible results, including the effective implementation of the two JICA projects, the development of the World Mangrove Center partnership, technical support for forest carbon initiatives, the advancement of the Sister Park concept, and the successful implementation of wildlife conservation cooperation. We hope that close coordination between the relevant authorities and implementing agencies of both countries will continue so that these initiatives can be translated into concrete and mutually beneficial programs,” she said.
Responding to Indonesia’s proposals, Eiji Tanimura, Deputy Director-General of the Forestry Agency of Japan, expressed his hope that forestry cooperation between the two countries would continue to expand in the years ahead.
“We hope that Indonesia and Japan will continue to broaden their cooperation across various areas of forestry and make it an increasingly important component of both countries’ policies. In addition to sustaining our existing collaboration, we look forward to expanding our partnership into new areas and further strengthening the relationship between Indonesia and Japan in the future,” he said.
The bilateral meeting reaffirmed the commitment of Indonesia and Japan to further strengthen their strategic partnership in the forestry sector through the implementation of result-oriented programs. Going forward, both countries will continue to promote collaboration in sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, the development of the World Mangrove Center, the promotion of legal and sustainable forest product trade, and other initiatives that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global climate action.
