Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Indonesia-Japan to sign MoU on import duty on agricultural products

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japan shortly on the import duty on agricultural and plantation commodities in each of the two countries.
The Director General of the Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products of the Agriculture Ministry, Djoko Said, disclosed here early this week that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will sign the MoU not later than November this year.
The signing of the MoU is part of the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the two countries, so Japan is expected to give a bigger chance to Indonesia`s agricultural commodities to enter its market, according to Djoko.
Japan has offered a nil percent import duty on 50 kinds of Indonesian agricultural and plantation commodities, especially fruits, while Japan has asked for the import duty exemption on only five of its agricultural commodities.
However, besides asking for the exemption on the five kinds of agricultural products, Japan has also demanded the opening of the Indonesian market for other products, he said. "This demand is one of the factors hampering the negotiations between the two countries," he added.
The 50 kinds of Indonesian agricultural commodities to be exempted from import duty by Japan include banana, jambu ( kind of rose-apple), salak (Zalacca palm fruit) and mangoes.
Japan has asked for an increase in the tariff on plywood, but Indonesia has raised an objection to the proposal as plywood is one of Indonesia`s top export commodities, Djoko said.
He cited the possibility that Japan will also ask Indonesia to lower import duty on automotive products. "Japan has lowered import duty on five agricultural products, but also demanded lower import duty on its non-agricultural commodities," he added.
Actually, Indonesia and Japan have negotiated cooperation in the EPA scheme for a long time. Before holding negotiations on agricultural commodities, the two countries have discussed cooperation in the investment sector and in the enhancement of Indonesian human resources` capacity.
Thus, the EPA will become an embryo of Free Trade Area (FTA), but the EPA is more comprehensive as the agreement includes cooperation outside the trade sector, Djoko said. (*)

ANTARA
October 2006

Posted by lelonoboy at 3:54 PM |

Indonesia, Japan to sign subway deal

JAKARTA — The governments of Indonesia and Japan will sign an agreement on the construction of a 32-km-long Jakarta subway line by the end of this month, a local newspaper reported Wednesday. Koran Tempo daily quoted Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa as saying that the finance ministers of both countries will sign the agreement on the $800 million project.
Indonesia initially wanted more use of local content or domestic products, estimated to reach 75% of the project's needs, so it would absorb more domestic labor. In the latest negotiations, according to Rajasa, it was agreed that 30% of the project's components will be from Japan, 30% from Indonesia and 40% will be opened for tender.

Kyodo News November

Posted by lelonoboy at 3:42 PM |

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Indonesia OKs eliminating tariffs on steel in FTA talks with Japan

(Kyodo) _ Trade ministers from Japan and Indonesia agreed Friday that Indonesia will eliminate tariffs on high-end steel products from Japan, such as those for automobiles, paving the way for conclusion of an outline of a bilateral free trade agreement in late November, a Japanese trade ministry official said. Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akira Amari and Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu agreed during a meeting in Tokyo that Jakarta will eliminate tariffs on Japanese steel products that Indonesian manufacturers do not produce, such as those for automobiles and electronic products, the official said. The official also said the two nations were putting the final touches on wording of a deal requiring Indonesia to ensure stable energy supply to Japan, a key pillar of the envisaged FTA. An outline FTA is scheduled to be signed between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when the Indonesian leader visits Japan in late November. It will be the first time for Japan to reach an FTA with another country that would include a clause to ensure stable energy supply to Japan. Indonesia is a key supplier of energy and natural resources for Japan, with Tokyo depending on Jakarta for 27.6 percent of its natural gas imports and for 3.5 percent of its crude oil imports.

Posted by lelonoboy at 1:33 PM |

Friday, November 10, 2006

Geisha

Di Jepang, kata Geisha berarti " seniman" . Geisha adalah tuan rumah profesional yang menjamu tamu melalui berbagai seni yang diselenggarakan di dalam rumah teh yang disebut O-Chaya. Mereka terlatih dalam sejumlah ketrampilan tradisional seperti tarian jaman kuno Jepang, bernyanyi, bermain instrumen seperti Shamisen, pengaturan bunga, memakai kimono, upacara teh, kaligrafi, percakapan, pelayanan minum dan banyak lagi lainnya. Geisha melanjutkan untuk belajar dan menyempurnakan ketrampilan mereka di sepanjang karier mereka sebagai geisha. Seorang geisha yang sukses harus mempertunjukkan kecantikan, keanggunan, bakat artistik, pesona, kesempurnaan etika, dan kehalusan budibahasa. Hanya tamu yang mempunyai koneksi lama dengan rumah teh yang diijinkan dan rumah teh biasanya tidak menerima klien baru tanpa suatu perkenalan. Profesi geisha adalah suatu bisnis yang sangat mahal dan pesta geisha dapat dengan mudah menghabiskan beribu-ribu dolar AS. Total jumlah geisha di tahun 1920's adalah 80,000, tetapi saat ini banyaknya geisha telah turun hingga 10,000 ,berkaitan dengan westernisasi kultur Jepang.

Apa Peran Geisha?

Geisha harus melatih diri mereka dalam berbagai seni tradisional seperti menari klasik, bermain Shamisen, dan beberapa gaya bernyanyi di dalam hanamachi ( komunitas geisha). Saat ini, geisha juga bisa menjadi model atau pergi untuk tur internasional, sebagai contoh. Geisha bekerja dengan menjamu tamu pada rumah teh yang mahal. Mereka akan melayani minum, berbicara dengan tamu, dan melakukan pertunjukan. Wanita Geisha menjalin banyak hubungan dengan laki-laki. Mereka bukanlah pelacur. Adalah pantas seorang geisha untuk mempunyai seorang pelindung (danna), yang dia dilibatkan secara emosional, secara ekonomis, dan secara seksual, bagaimanapun itu terserah kepada geisha apakah dia menginginkan seseorang ataukah tidak. Geisha memakaikan rambut mereka dengan sanggul atau suatu gaya seragam dengan sisir tunggal dan dua peniti. Mereka juga memakai kimono yang elegan dan riasan putih yang indah. Geisha juga menghibur pada pesta atau perjamuan bisnis dengan jumlah uang yang pantas. Di sana mereka ikut serta dalam percakapan, dan melakukan pertunjukan untuk tamu tersebut. Geisha juga akan mempertunjukan "Tachikata" yang mana sebagian besar adalah tarian tradisional Jepang atau " Jikata" yang mana sebagian besar menyanyi atau memainkan instrument musik. “Tachikata” pada umumnya adalah maiko (anak perempuan) sedang “Jikata” adalah wanita geisha yang lebih tua. Mereka juga memberi perhatian yang lebih besar kepada tamu kehormatan. Geisha juga tidak membocorkan keluar semua yang dikatakan pada suatu pertemuan bisnis atau pesta.Geisha tidak menyiapkan atau melayani makan. Mereka juga tidak pernah mempunyai suatu hubungan dalam satu malam.

Posted by lelonoboy at 11:46 AM |

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Japan, Indonesia to hold new round of trade talks next week

TOKYO : Japan said Friday it will begin a sixth round of talks with Indonesia next week on a bilateral free trade agreement, aiming to overcome differences in the faltering negotiations.The two Asian nations agreed in July last year to begin working towards the signing of a comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which includes trade in goods and services, investment, movement of people and competition policies. The Japanese delegation for the talks in Tokyo from Tuesday to Friday will be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka while Indonesian Ambassador Soemadi Brotodiningrat leads the team from Jakarta. There will be consultations on trade in goods and services, and investment. Participants will work on a draft agreement, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement. Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said in August that there were "a number of difficult issues to be resolved" in the talks, rating the chance of their conclusion by the end of the year as 50-50. Pangestu said Indonesia's differences with Japan were not related to tariffs but to the issue of standards placed on products. She said negotiations on services and investments had also run into difficulties. Japan has been increasingly pursuing free trade pacts, seeking to secure access to raw materials and markets for its exports. It has stepped up negotiations amid a stalemate in global trade liberalisation talks, which were suspended in July amid an impasse between the European Union and the United States over agricultural reform. Japan's first FTA, with Singapore, took effect in late 2002 and Tokyo has since agreed on deals with Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. It has ongoing negotiations with South Korea, six oil-rich Gulf nations and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a whole. - AFP/ch

Posted by lelonoboy at 1:04 PM |

Mirai e Song Lyrics


Mirai e
~ Kiroro ~
 
Hora ashimoto wo mite goran
Kore ga anata no ayumu michi
Hora mae wo mite goran
Are ga anata no mirai
 
Haha ga kureta takusan no yasashisa
Ai wo idaite ayumeto kurikaeshita
Ano toki wa mada osanakute imi nado shiranai
Sonna watashi no te wo nigiri
Isshoni ayundekita
 
Yume wa itsumo sora takaku aru kara
Todokanakute kowai ne dakedo oitsuzukeru no
Jibun no story dakara koso akirametakunai
Fuan ni naruto te wo nigiri
Isshoni ayundekita
 
Sono yasashisa wo toki ni wa iyagari
Hanareta haha e sunao ni narezu
 
Hora ashimoto wo mite goran
Kore ga anata no ayumu michi
Hora mae wo mite goran
Are ga anata no mirai
 
Sono yasashisa wo toki ni wa iyagari
Hanareta haha e sunao ni narezu
 
Hora ashimoto wo mite goran
Kore ga anata no ayumu michi
Hora mae wo mite goran
Are ga anata no mirai
 
Hora ashimoto wo mite goran
Kore ga anata no ayumu michi
Hora mae wo mite goran
Are ga anata no mirai
Mirai e mukatte
Yukkuri to aruite yukou

Posted by lelonoboy at 10:50 AM |

Dibalik Dongeng Putri Kaguya

“ Dongeng tentang pemotong bambu “ adalah suatu cerita rakyat jepang abad ke10 yang bercerita tentang seorang anak perempuan misterius,yaitu Puteri Kaguya. Juga diketahui sebagai “ Dongeng tentang Puteri Kaguya “. Hal tersebut disebut sebagai naratif jepang yang tertua. Taketori Monotogari (dongeng tentang pemootong bambu ) adalah sebuah cerita yang diketahui oleh hampir semua orang jepang. Secara singkat, dongeng ini menceritakan tentang gadis tiga matahari (1 matahari berukuran 3.03 cm) di dalam suatu kilauan batang bambu yang ditemukan oleh tukang potong bambu tua yang ketika itu sedang bekerja di daerah perbukitan. Dia membawa anak gadis itu kerumahnya dan kemudian bersama istrinya dia mulai membesarkan anak tersebut. Mulai hari itu, dia menemukan emas di dalam bambu. Anak gadis itu tumbuh dengan cepat dan dinamakan “ Nayotake no Kaguya-hime ( Putri yang berkilau dalam potongan bambu). Okada menulis bahwa versi terdahulu dari “cerita pemotong bambu” nampak sebagai Man-Yoshu, yang berdiri bukan sebagai suatu cerita yang mempunyai otonomi sendiri tetapi sebagai alasan berbeda untuk suatu choka dan dua hanka oleh orang- orang terdahulu dan sembilan tanka oleh sembilan makhluk abadi yang nampak di dalam jalan cerita. Versi Man’-yoshu betul-betul terlihat diambil dari teks Taketori. Fokusnya adalah puisi- puisi, dan nilai- nilai yang ada pada mereka untuk orang tua sebagai balasan untuk suatu pelanggaran. Yang menarik dari narasi ini terletak pada pertukaran percakapan, yang mana menyajikan alasan untuk puisi tersebut. Dan sikap yang mengejek perempuan dalam hubungannya dengan laki- laki dan juga pemikiran bahwa manusia tidak sepantasnya berkeluarga dengan makhluk abadi. Wajar untuk kita berpikir bahwa pada kenyataannya Taketori Monogatari berasal dari Cina. sebuah cerita Cina berjudul “Gadis dari percikan bambu ( Pan-chu Ku-niang)” juga mirip dengan cerita lima pelamar dalam Taketori Monogatari. Pengaruh religius dalam cerita Taketori Monogatara sangatlah menarik. Sebelum Taketori Monogatara tidak ada cerita rakyat dari Jepang yang mana tidak berorientasi duniawi, wanita pergi kebulan pada bulan purnama di bulan Agustus. Mitos di Jepang biasanya memuja matahari, bukannya bulan. Pemujaan bulan bisa disebut adalah pengaruh dari Cina. Kenyataannya, cerita bahwa Kouga mulai hidup di bulan setelah meminum obat ada dalam salah satu cerita Shinsen Cina, Legenda Kouga, bisa saja menjadi dasar dari Taketori Monogatara karena kedua cerita meninggung tentang obat dan bulan pada umumnya. Dengan cukup keyakinan, ajaran Shinsen Cina berdasarakan dari ajaran Tao. Taketori Monogatara mungkin ditulis selambat- lambatnya pada abad ke 9 atau awal abad ke 10. Seperti disebut pada akhir cerita bahwa asap masih keluar dari Gunung Fuji, berarti masih berstatus aktif, adalah sebuah petunjuk penting waktu dari cerita tersebut, seperti kita tahu, setelah 905 A.D. gunung telah berhenti mengeluarkan asap. Dengan mengabaikan kapan persisnya cerita itu pertama ditulis, cerita ini adalah yang cerita fiksi Jepang paling tua yang masih bertahan. Banyak teori yang mengumumkan tentang si pengarang, tapi terlalu sedikit untuk diduga. Nama- nama dari lima pelamar, menirukan nama dari anggota- anggota dari pengadilan Jepang pada abad ke 8, dipercayai oleh beberapa ahli bahwa Cerita si Pemotong Bambu dibayangkan sebagai sindiran yang diarahkan untuk melawan beberapa golongan di pengadilan, tetapi ini bukanlah bagaimana cerita dibaca (dipahami) berabad-abad kemudian.


Posted by lelonoboy at 10:32 AM |

Bengawan Solo

Bengawan Solo is a famous Indonesian song about the Bengawan Solo River, which flows through central and eastern Java, Indonesia and is that island's longest river. The song describes the legendary river in a poetic and nostalgic way, that it is surrounded by mountains, its sources are near the city of Surakarta, that it ends in the sea, and that the merchant class always makes use of it. Written in 1940 by Gesang Martohartono, it is in the local kroncong style, a popular folk style with influences from Portuguese. The Japanese, who occupied the country during World War II, brought the song with them to Japan after returning from the war. There, and also in the rest of Asia and later worldwide, the song became very famous. The song's widespread popularity began soon after its composition, and locally it is strongly associated with the period of war occupation and the society of the times. In 1940 Gesang, then a young, destitute and untrained musician, composed the song on a bamboo flute and began to sing it at local functions and gatherings in his hometown of Surakarta. It soon became well-known and liked among the local Javanese community; the song then achieved national acclaim after it was broadcast to a wider audience by various radio stations. The melodies of the song also appealed to both the occupying Japanese soldiers, and the non-Indonesian prisoners (mainly Dutch civilians) in the internment camps. The song was taken back to Japan by the returning soldiers, where it (with the lyrics translated to Japanese) gained great popularity after various singers such as Toshi Matsuda released recorded versions of it which became best-sellers. The song has become almost synonymous with the perception of Indonesian music in Japan. In 1991, a group of appreciative Japanese war veterans arranged for a statue of Martohartono to be erected in a park in Surakarta. Gesang himself was still resident in the city, now a nationally renowned figure[1]. Very many artists have recorded the song, among whom are Waldjina, Toshi Matsuda, Anneke Grönloh, Rebecca Pan and Frances Yip. "Bengawan Solo" is a popular name given to restaurants and businesses, in reminiscence of the song.

Song lyrics

Indonesian

Bengawan Solo, riwayatmu ini
sedari dulu jadi perhatian insani
musim kemarau, tak seberapa airmu
di musim hujan air meluap sampai jauh ...

mata airmu dari Solo
terkurung gunung seribu
air mengalir sampai jauh
akhirnya ke laut ...

itu perahu, riwayatmu dulu
kaum pedagang s'lalu naik itu perahu

English translation

"Bengawan Solo, this is a song of your history.
People have been fascinated with this great river since ancient times,
In the dry season, your water is little, and in the rainy season, your water overflows till far,
Around the source of the Solo River, there are a thousand mountains,
And the river flows all the way to the sea.
There are always many merchants on board ships going up and down the river.
These ships also show your history."

Posted by lelonoboy at 10:01 AM |

EU, Japan want to monitor Aceh elections

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry has received requests from a number of countries including Japan and international organizations such as the European Union (EU) to monitor the implementation of Aceh`s direct regional chief elections scheduled for next December 11, 2006, a spokesman said. "There is no problem about the requests from various parties to monitor the direct elections in Aceh," Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirayuda said. The minister made the statement to the press at the State Palace after attending a ceremony marking the presentation of the credentials of nine newly-accredited foreign ambassadors to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He said the European Union, European countries and Japan were among the parties that had expressed interest in observing Aceh`s regional polls to elect a governor and vice governor, district heads and mayors. The minister said he and Home Affairs Minister Moh. Ma`ruf had signed a joint decree to regulate the entry of foreign observers into Aceh and their activities during the elections. Wirajuda said the foreign observers` presence in Aceh would be helpful as it was through them that Indonesia would be able to prove its capability to conduct peaceful and safe elections in a previously conflict-torn region. (*)

Posted by lelonoboy at 9:40 AM |

Japan, Indonesia to hold new round of trade talks next week


TOKYO (AFP) - Japan said it will begin a sixth round of talks with Indonesia next week on a bilateral free trade agreement, aiming to overcome differences in the faltering negotiations. The two Asian nations agreed in July last year to begin working towards the signing of a comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which includes trade in goods and services, investment, movement of people and competition policies. The Japanese delegation for the talks in Tokyo from Tuesday to Friday will be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka while Indonesian Ambassador Soemadi Brotodiningrat leads the team from Jakarta. There will be consultations on trade in goods and services, and investment. Participants will work on a draft agreement, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement. Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said in August that there were "a number of difficult issues to be resolved" in the talks, rating the chance of their conclusion by the end of the year as 50-50. Pangestu said Indonesia's differences with Japan were not related to tariffs but to the issue of standards placed on products. She said negotiations on services and investments had also run into difficulties. Japan has been increasingly pursuing free trade pacts, seeking to secure access to raw materials and markets for its exports. It has stepped up negotiations amid a stalemate in global trade liberalization talks, which were suspended in July amid an impasse between the European Union and the United States over agricultural reform. Japan's first FTA, with Singapore, took effect in late 2002 and Tokyo has since agreed on deals with Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. It has ongoing negotiations with South Korea, six oil-rich Gulf nations and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a whole.

Posted by lelonoboy at 12:19 AM |

Indonesia, Japan focus investment on four sectors


Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesia-Japan Joint forum has agreed to increase Japanese private investment in Indonesia with priority to four industries, namely the electronics, automotive, textile/clothing and support industries. "Indonesia hopes for improvement in the investment climate, especially for the four industries," Trade Minister Marie Elka Pangestu said here early this week, adding that Japan is expected to increase its investment in Indonesia, despite its already big investment in various sectors in the country. Mari was speaking to the press after heading a meeting of the Planning and Coordinating Committee along with Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Shin Ebihara in the fifth Indonesia-Japan Joint Forum on Investment at the Central Office of the Trade Ministry here. The Joint Forum whose members are government officials and representatives of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of the two countries was established to facilitate the provision of Japanese technical assistance such as for capacity building. The trade minister pointed out that Japan`s industrial bases in Indonesia consist of the electronic and automotive industries. In the support industry, Japan is expected invest in the molding, dyeing, and casting industries, which are required to support their industrial bases, she said. The development of the component industry will enable Indonesia to serve as a regional production center for the machinery, electronic and automotive component industries like Japan, China and several other Asian countries, according to Marie. Indonesia became a regional production center in the 1990s, but several semi conductor manufacturers which planned to enter Indonesia cancelled their plan because of the economic crisis, she explained. The chairman of the Japanese Economic Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Kusumo A.Martorejdjo, said Kadin has given priority to the four industries in attracting Japanese investors. Kadin has also asked Japan to build a petrochemical center in Indonesia. In the past two years, JFI discussions have expanded to the use of bio-fuel as a substitute to conventional fuel such as diesel oil, Kusumo said. The development of bio-fuel is expected to encourage Japan to expand its investment in Indonesia, he added. In luring more Japanese investment to Indonesia, the Joint Forum on Investment (JFI) has drawn up a Strategic Investment Action Plan (SIAP), comprising the working groups of taxation and customs service, manpower, infrastructure and competitiveness, and small/medium enterprises. Since the end of 2004, the four working groups have identified 118 action plans in the form of concrete steps to overcome investment barriers in Indonesia. Almost all of the action plans have nearly been completed, according to the trade minister. In preparing their investment in Indonesia, Japanese investors have paid attention to several matters like transparency of procedures and customs regulations. They have even proposed efforts to overcome traffic jams. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will discuss the progress of the action plans during his planned visit to Tokyo at the end of November 2006. (*)

Posted by lelonoboy at 12:10 AM |

Japan's Inpex to invest 4.2 bln dlrs for gas project in Indonesia


TOKYO (AFP) - Top Japanese energy company Inpex Holdings plans to invest some 500 billion yen (4.22 billion dollars) to develop a natural gas project in Indonesia, a report says. With production expected by 2015, it could help meet Japan's gas needs after Russia recently halted work on the Sakhalin-2 project, developed by British-Dutch oil giant Shell along with Japanese firms Mitsui and Mitsubishi Corp, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said. Inpex has confirmed a deposit capable of generating three million tons of liquefied natural gas a year in an eastern Indonesian field in the Timor Sea, the newspaper said without citing sources. It will start test drilling at four locations beginning early next year to verify the reserves, then submit a production plan to the Indonesian government in 2008 for approval, it said. Inpex fully owns the project and plans to sign contracts with Japanese utility companies as well as Asian, European and US firms.To defray the risks, it will also ask major international oil concerns to participate in the development, the newspaper said.Inpex will link the field by pipeline to facility near the city of Darwin in northern Australia to convert the natural gas into LNG, which will then be shipped to Japan and other countries, the Nihon Keizai said.

Japan imported about 58 million tons of LNG in the year to March 2006.


Posted by lelonoboy at 12:00 AM |