Indonesia signs a defense pact with Japan, arms included

Indonesia and Japan have signed their first real defense pact, and it opens the door to something new: buying Japanese weapons. During a visit to Jakarta on 5 May 2026, Japan's defense minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, and Indonesia's defense minister, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, signed a Defense Cooperation Arrangement. As The Japan Times reports, it covers maritime security, disaster relief, joint training, and, for the first time, the transfer of defense equipment and technology.

The deal is possible because Japan recently loosened its own long-standing rules. For decades, Tokyo mostly banned the export of weapons under a policy called the Three Principles. The month before, Japan changed those rules to allow sales of lethal weapons to countries it has defense agreements with, and Indonesia is among the first to benefit. The two sides also set up a regular "Integrated Defense Dialogue" between their ministers and military chiefs.

The pact fits a clear pattern. Since taking office, President Prabowo Subianto has moved to modernize the armed forces and spread Indonesia's partners wide: it recently signed a defense pact with the United States, deepened ties with France, and struck an oil deal with Russia, all while staying formally non-aligned and a member of the BRICS group of large developing economies. For Japan, the arrangement is part of a push, alongside a similar deal with the Philippines, to balance China's growing power in the seas nearby.

Why it matters

For Indonesia, more defense partners can mean better equipment and training to guard its huge waters, without depending on any single power. It also shows Prabowo's strategy of keeping many doors open at once, from Washington to Tokyo to Moscow. Watch what actual equipment and joint work follow, because a signed arrangement is only a start.