Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Japan`s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taro Kono, visited the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project in the heart of Indonesia`s capital city, as a part of his visit to Indonesia.
Based on Antara`s observation, the minister arrived in the construction area on Monday afternoon and was immediately greeted by President Director of PT MRT Jakarta, William Sabandar.
They both proceeded to directly have a look at the public transportation project, including the future entrance area, as well as the ground floor, where the train tracks and future platforms are located.
They also walked along the train tracks until they reached the underground tunnel that will be the operating path of the railway.
They were seen stopping at a number of spots, when Kono asked Sabandar a few questions about the ongoing construction.
The visit was concluded by the handover of a souvenir from PT MRT Jakarta, after which Kono immediately left the construction grounds.
Although he did not make any statements himself, Sabandar told the media that the minister appreciated the progress accomplished by the Jakarta MRT project thus far.
"In general, he appreciated what we have accomplished, and he was very happy over the progress that we have achieved," he remarked in Jakarta on Monday.
He also stated that up until now, the construction project has reached 96.4 percent of its progress, and at the moment, he was gearing up for the integrated testing commissioning trial, scheduled to be held in August.
"We are preparing for the trial run of the railway. The trains have actually arrived, and they are stationed in the Lebak Bulus depot. We plan to carry out the test in August, as the track works will be completed by the end of the month, which will then be followed by the installment of the signal system. Hopefully, we can carry out the test on the actual track in August," he reiterated.
This, he continued, was deeply appreciated by Kono when he closely monitored the construction. According to Sabandar, the Jakarta MRT project is the only construction project visited by Kono on his trip to Indonesia this time around.
Furthermore, he stated that the Jakarta MRT project is a form of cooperation between the governments of Indonesia and Japan.
"It is a long-time initiated project since the 1990s, but then it only started in 2013. It is a joint initiative between the governments of Indonesia and Japan. Therefore, Japan is supporting it through feasibility study, planning, and funding," he explained.
Japan is the second largest investor in Indonesia, with an investment value of US$5 billion in 2017. The total value of trade between the two countries in 2017 rose 13.54 percent from 2016 to $33.03 billion.
Reporter: Aria Cindyara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
