RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian government is strengthening environmental diplomacy with Japan through cooperation on conservation and national park management.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni met with Japanese government representatives to discuss national park management and ecotourism development. The meeting was attended by Shichimeko Shuici, Director of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, and Ikuo Yamada from the International Cooperation Office of Japan’s Ministry of the Environment.

One of the main initiatives proposed is a sister park program between Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and several Indonesian national parks with similar ecosystems, namely Kerinci Seblat National Park, Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, and Mount Rinjani National Park.

The cooperation is expected to improve the quality of national park management through the exchange of knowledge, experience, and best practices in conservation and ecotourism. “It also aims to strengthen the international profile of Indonesia’s national parks,” said Head of Public Relations and International Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Forestry, Ristianto Pribadi, as quoted on the ministry’s official website on Sunday, March 29, 2026.

The Japanese Ministry of the Environment welcomed the proposal and encouraged further discussion through a technical workshop to design a concrete, sustainable framework for cooperation.

On March 28, 2026, Minister Raja Juli Antoni also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Shizuoka Prefectural Administration on wildlife conservation, focusing on a breeding loan program for Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis).

The sister park initiative and the Komodo breeding loan agreement form part of the Ministry of Forestry’s program to strengthen Indonesia–Japan relations, in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s state visit to Japan. ***