RRI.CO.ID, Manila –Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono called on ASEAN and Japan to strengthen a more resilient and adaptive partnership to address the region's strategic needs amid growing global uncertainty.

"The ASEAN-Japan partnership must have a clear direction and deliver tangible cooperation for regional peace, resilience, and prosperity," Sugiono said during the ASEAN-Japan Post-Ministerial Conference in Manila, the Philippines, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.

During the meeting, Sugiono emphasized that ASEAN-Japan cooperation should focus on quality investment, resilient infrastructure development, clean energy, human resource development, and maritime security.

Indonesia also welcomed stronger complementarity between the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision, with the expectation that it will be translated into concrete cooperation while upholding ASEAN Centrality.

Sugiono particularly underscored the importance of maintaining safe and open sea lanes to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy supplies, food, trade, and regional supply chains.

"Maritime cooperation must remain a key pillar of the ASEAN-Japan partnership through stronger capacity building, connectivity, and maritime domain awareness," he said.

In the fields of economy and energy, Indonesia encouraged the optimization of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) and the Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience Asia to support the energy transition while strengthening regional energy security.

Sugiono also said that existing economic cooperation frameworks, including the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the ASEAN Plus Three, should continue to be leveraged to sustain trade and investment flows while creating new opportunities for industry.

Beyond regional issues, Sugiono highlighted the importance of ASEAN and Japan's contribution to the recovery and reconstruction of Palestine through the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD).

"For Indonesia, Palestine is not merely a humanitarian issue. It is a matter of justice, dignity, and the Palestinian people's right to rebuild their future," Sugiono said.

He added that CEAPAD must be able to translate international solidarity into concrete action to support the long-term recovery and development of the Palestinian people.

The ASEAN-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held as part of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC) in Manila, the Philippines. Japan has been an ASEAN Dialogue Partner since 1973, with cooperation covering political-security affairs, trade and investment, connectivity, energy, maritime affairs, human resource development, and sustainable development.