Bali’s Governor, Wayan Koster, has met with Deputy Foreign Minister of Japan, Akiko Ikuina, to discuss the future of tourism and education.
The official visit from Japan to Bali comes as leaders in the province seek to strengthen international ties, with tourism continuing to increase and diversify in the region.
In a written statement, Governor Wayan Koster shared, “We really appreciate Japanese tourists who respect local culture and rules.” He continued, “We see many shared cultural values between the Balinese and Japanese communities which form a strong foundation for this collaboration.”
The Bali Provincial Government reaffirmed its commitment to being open to collaborations with aligned parties, not only in the tourism sector but in education, agriculture, renewable energy, waste management, and infrastructure development.
Governor Koster noted that Bali can learn a lot from Japan, not only about tourism but also about agriculture. He explained, “Most of the agricultural experts from Bali are Japanese graduates because we know that Japan is very advanced in the agricultural sector. We hope Japan can support us. We are ready to follow up on various opportunities for concrete cooperation with the Japanese Consulate General in Bali.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Japan, Akiko Ikuina, also shared her enthusiasm for the future of the partnership. She shared, “Bali has extraordinary potential in tourism, culture, and the environment. Many Japanese people visit Bali every year, with more than 2,200 Japanese citizens living here.”
She added, “We greatly appreciate the Bali Provincial Government’s support and attention to the comfort and safety of Japanese residents and tourists.” Minister Ikuina also acknowledged the increasing number of Indonesian nationals living, working, and studying in Japan. In the last five years, the number of Indonesian nationals residing in Japan increased threefold to 200,000.
Minister Ikuina concluded, “It is important for us to continue strengthening the change of young human resources between the two countries, including through education and training. Currently, there are 6,778 Indonesian students in Japan, the ninth highest number in the world.”
Japanese tourists are amongst the most frequent international arrivals to Bali, but numbers have not yet positioned them within the top five. It remains the case that the most frequently arriving international tourists to Bali hail from Australia, India, and China.
Bali is continuing to strengthen ties with leaders from the most frequent visitors to the province as the island looks set to smash tourism targets once again in 2025. Bali is on track to welcome more than 6.5 million international arrivals by the end of the year, but it needs more support to sustain this growth sustainably, benefiting both local communities and tourists.
In May 2025, Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya called a meeting with Consuls General, Honorary Consuls, and Consul Agents from all countries based in Bali. The meeting was called as a result of a series of incidents involving international holidaymakers engaging in antisocial and illegal activities.
Chief Inspector Adityajaya communicated, “We urge the consuls to improve communication and remind their citizens so that similar incidents do not happen again.”
He continued, “We, the Bali Regional Police, are committed to creating a stable, safe, and comfortable situation for all foreign tourists and local communities so that later tourists and local residents can have holidays and activities safely and comfortably in Bali.”
He called for all leaders and stakeholders, both within Bali and abroad, to support the vision of achieving a safe and sustainable tourism sector for all.
He concluded “[Visitors must] respect the traditions that already exist and run in Bali so far, considering the importance of security and stability as the main foundation in realizing Bali tourism that is not only interesting in culture and nature but also superior in terms of comfort and safety.”
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AloJapan.com