"The investment needed for construction of MRT is estimated at 600 billion yen," Japanese Minister for Trade, Economic and Industrial Affairs Yukio Edano said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Japanese government said it was ready to provide funds for the construction of a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) system.

"The investment needed for construction of MRT is estimated at 600 billion yen," Japanese Minister for Trade, Economic and Industrial Affairs Yukio Edano said at a joint press conference with Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa, here on Thursday.

Building a Jakarta MRT system is one of the potential fast track projects included in the Metropolitan Priority Area (MPA) for Investment and Industry.

Japan expressed its readiness to fund the MRT project in a second MPA meeting, yet Yukio could not yet reveal to the press the total amount of funds for all MPA projects.

He said the total amount of funds needed to carry out MPA projects, including the Jakarta MRT system, was not yet known.

"We have to study the details of the master plans. If preparations have been made and their tenders are already to be called, then we will be able to determine and reveal the total value," the Japanese minister said.

He said that the value of the MPA projects were however estimated at two to three trillion yen.

In the meantime, Hatta said that the MRT project was part of the potential fast tract projects included in the MPA.

On the occasion, Hatta said that there was also another project, namely the Central Java power plant, which was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The governments of Indonesia and Japan have agreed to cooperate in the MPA for Investment and Industry development in its first MPA meeting last March.

In the second MPA meeting both sides agreed the developments of various projects in the infrastructure sector such as MRT, inner and outer ring roads, sanitation and water supplies, Soekarno-Hatta airport and Tanjung priok port construction, waste processing and flood management.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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