Indonesia Intensifies Lobby for Exemption of Import Duties from Japan

The government is lobbying Japan to waive import duties on several commodities, including tuna. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto is in talks with the Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry of Japan, Nishimura Yasutoshi, on the sidelines of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) meeting in Los Angeles, United States, on Sept 8-9.

According to Airlangga, Japan still charges an import duty for Indonesian tuna products at seven percent. "Meanwhile, similar products from neighboring countries have been exempted from import duties," he said on Saturday, adding that Japan also imposes restrictions on facilities for pineapples and bananas exports. Meanwhile, Nishimura said he was discussing the plan to exempt from import duty on canned tuna from Indonesia with the relevant ministries. The Japanese government, he said, had approved an increase in the quota for bananas and pineapples that received export facilities.