First Japan-Indonesia automotive dialogue held

They discussed policies for the automobile industy in both countries and confirmed that development of “xEVs” - a variety of electrified vehicles including battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug in-hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) - is indispensable for addressing the problems concerning the environment and energy security, and the growth of related industries.

The dialogue brought together Mr. Yoji Ueda, Deputy Director-General, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, METI, as a representative of Japan, and Mr. Harjanto, Director General of Metal, Machinery, Transportation Equipment & Electronic Industries, Ministry of Industry, as a representative of Indonesia. Aiming to enhance mutual understanding of their respective policies for electrified vehicles and to enrich understanding of appropriate approaches to achieving electrified vehicles by sharing Japan’s experiences and knowledge in the field of electrified vehicles, a wide variety of stakeholders in the public and private sectors involved in the automobile industry in Japan and Indonesia also participated in the dialogue and exchanged views.

The Government of Japan explained the importance of xEVs and a “Well-to-Wheel Zero Emission” policy (to reduce emissions a vehicle’s total emissions footprint to zero, from fuel and power production to automobile operation), long-term goals set by the interim report formulated by the Strategy Meeting for the New Era of Automobiles released in July 2018.

Furthermore, participating stakeholders in the private sector of Japan explained their experiences with and knowledge on electrified vehicles, such as management of built-in storage batteries, introduction of electrified vehicles into energy systems and trends in international standardisation activities of electrified vehicles. METI and the Ministry of Industry, Indonesia agreed to continue to hold dialogues.