My Coffee's Better Than Your Coffee: President Prabowo to Brazil's Lula in Japan Visit

RRI.CO.ID, Tokyo – Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto briefly mentioned Indonesian coffee at the Japan-Indonesia Business Forum in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, 30 March 2026. Prabowo even mentioned Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, claiming that Indonesian coffee is "better" than Brazilian ones.

In an intermezzo from his speech at the pulpit, Prabowo apologized for acting like a micromanager to his ministers, especially when coffee was in front of him. Before Japanese and Indonesian businesspeople, he then took a sip from a cup of coffee served near the pulpit.

"I'm guilty (of my mistake). Maybe it's because their boss is a bit too micro-manager, especially if I have coffee in front of me," he said before drinking a coffee, which followed by applause.

Prabowo then praised an Indonesian coffee brand, Kapal Api, allegedly the coffee he drank, by saying so to the brand's representatives present at the forum. He stated that he was ready to be an ambassador for Indonesian coffee products and brands abroad.

"I'm a strong brand ambassador for Indonesian coffee. We have the best coffee in the world," he said, followed by another applause.

Prabowo later mentioned Lula da Silva, acknowledging their friendship. However, he still claimed Indonesian coffee better.

"I'm sorry, President Lula. You're my friend, but my coffee is better than your coffee," he said.

Founded in 1927 in Surabaya, East Java, Kapal Api – roughly translated as "Steamboat" – is known in Indonesia for its instant black coffee and other coffee-based products. The brand is distributed to more than 100 products to 68 countries, according to its website.

With 760,192 tons of coffee beans as of 2023, Indonesia is the world's third-largest coffee producer. Brazil, meanwhile, is the largest producer with over 3.4 million tons of coffee beans.