REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- A Japanese noodle firm in Hyogo Prefecture has expressed readiness to meet administrative requirements such as halal certification for its food products to be sold to Indonesian consumers.

The Japanese company notified the representative office in Tokyo of the Indonesian Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) on its readiness to meet the halal certification for its noodle products.

"I have received reports that several Japanese food companies are contemplating to enter Indonesia after observing the spurt in the number of Japanese restaurants and grocery stores in the country. This means that they already have market segments to sell their products in Indonesia," Franky Sibarani, the BKPM head, noted in a press statement here on Wednesday.

He affirmed that the Hyogo Prefecture was included in the areas covered by the Indonesian Consulate General in Osaka. It often conducted promotional activities in cooperation with the Tokyo office of the BKPM.

Franky lauded the interest shown by the Japanese noodle firm to invest in Indonesia. He remarked that it was an interesting development as, so far, Japanese companies making investment in Indonesia were mostly doing business in the automotive and component industries.

"This indicates that the interest of Japanese companies to invest in Indonesia is increasingly varying," the BKPM chief pointed out.

According to data at the representative office of the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro), there were 1,199 students enrolled in Japanese schools in Jakarta in 2014. The institution also recorded that at the national level, there were 16 thousand Japanese expatriates living in Indonesia of which 10 thousand were in Jakarta.

"Data on Japanese expatriates in Jakarta is the main factor that has led to new investment interest in Indonesia," he claimed.

Saribua Siahaan, the BKPM representative for investment promotion (IIPC) in Tokyo, stated that companies from Japan were so far mostly doing business in the electronics, automotive, and components sectors in addition to garment products.

"Other fields of business that have attracted Japanese investors include semiconductor production and electrical appliances. The IIPC is ready to help the Japanese investor who came from Hyogo Prefecture," Saribua remarked.

In line with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the Japanese investors have begun showing interest to invest in the food sector in Indonesia.

"The Japanese investors view this as an opportunity since over 40 percent of the ASEAN population resides in Indonesia," noted Saribua.

Based on the BKPM data, the realization of Japanese investment in Indonesia in 2015 increased by six percent compared to that in 2014.

The Japanese investment realization in 2015 stood at US$2.87 billion, with 2,030 projects absorbing 115,400 workers.

The manufacturing sector, particularly the automotive, electronics, machinery, chemical, and pharmacy sectors, constituted the main contributors to the Japanese investment in Indonesia.

Japanese investment commitment in 2015 reached US$8.1 billion, up 95 percent from that in the previous year. Japan came third on the list of foreign countries having investment commitment in Indonesia.

The countries topping the list of foreign investment above Japan were China, with US$22.2 billion, up 42 percent compared to the same period in the previous year, and Singapore, with investment increasing by 69 percent to US$16.3 billion.

Following Japan was South Korea, which recorded an increased investment of 86 percent that reached US$4.8 billion.

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