REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda met Monday and expected the two countries' relations to get stronger in the future.

"President Yudhoyono expects that the friendship of Indonesia and Japan should remain strong not only in economic but also political and security sectors," Indonesian president's spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said.

During the meeting, Fukuda was accompanied by Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yoshinori Katori, Deputy President of Japan-Indonesia Association Naoki Kuroda and Yutaka Iimura, President of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies Takashi Shiraisi, CEO Teijin Oyagi and Regional Coordinator and Adviser of Mitsubishi Corporation in Indonesia Masataka Komiya.

President Yudhoyono was accompanied Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Coordinating Minister of Legal, Political and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto, Minister/State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam, and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board Mahendra Siregar.

Julian Aldrin Pasha said Fukuda highly appreciated the Yudhoyono government saying that Indonesia was able to play a significant role in promoting and maintaining peace in the Southeast Asian and East Asian regions as well as the world.

"This is something that Indonesia and Japan need to preserve," Fukuda was quoted by Julian as saying adding that President Yudhoyono believed that the Indonesian government under its new president would continue the good relationship with Japan.

President-elect Joko Widodo had also shared President Yudhoyono's opinion about the importance of maintaining Indonesia's good relationship with Japan when the two leaders recently met, he added.

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