Erick Thohir Praises Japanese Ambassador's Dinner for Indonesian Contingent

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta — Indonesia's Minister of Youth and Sports, Erick Thohir, praised the dinner and hospitality event hosted by Japan's Ambassador to Indonesia, Ueno Atsushi, in Jakarta on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. The event was held as a show of Japan's support for the Indonesian contingent set to compete at the 2026 Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Nagoya.

The warm and cordial dinner was held 11 days ahead of the opening of the 2026 Asian Games. In his remarks, Minister Erick praised Ambassador Ueno Atsushi's initiative in organizing the gathering as a symbol of support for Indonesian athletes ahead of their departure for Japan.

Minister Erick highlighted Japan's track record as host of major international sporting events, including hosting the Summer Olympics twice and the Asian Games three times. "This proves that Japan is truly an expert at being a host. Not to mention the Japanese people, who are known for being polite, hardworking, and friendly, which is why Japanese culture is so widely embraced around the world," he said.

He said this experience is clear proof of Japan's professionalism and readiness in organizing large-scale sporting events. "Indonesia certainly has much to learn from this," Minister Erick said.

He further noted that the population of Indonesian citizens living in Japan has now reached nearly 280,000 people. He expressed hope that this large number of Indonesians could serve as "ambassadors of the nation," absorbing positive aspects of Japanese culture and bringing them back home. "We hope Indonesians in Japan can learn Japan's good culture, so that when they return to Indonesia, they can pass on these good values to society at large," he added.

During the meeting, Minister Erick and the Japanese Ambassador also agreed on the importance of continuing to strengthen strategic programs in the youth and sports sector, alongside the already solid economic cooperation between the two countries. "Cooperation on youth and sports programs must continue to be strengthened. This is a diplomatic relationship that has a direct impact on people-to-people ties," he said.

Indonesia offered cooperation on promoting and developing Pencak Silat in Japan, while the two countries' sports committees are actively discussing technical exchange and coaching in Fencing and Gymnastics. "Hopefully we can keep improving this cooperation in the years ahead," Minister Erick stressed.

The farewell event was also attended by Chef de Mission (CdM) of the Indonesian 2026 Asian Games Contingent Todotua Pasaribu, Chairman of the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) Raja Sapta Oktohari, National Paralympic Committee (NPC) Indonesia representative Yasin Onasi, sports federation leaders, as well as representatives of several Japanese companies investing in Indonesia.