The Japanese military will take part in military exercises in Indonesia for the first time next month, along with the United States and Australia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Reuters reported.

The meeting between Kishida and Widodo came a day after the Indonesian president made a rare visit to China for a summit meeting with President Xi Jinping, where the parties promised to increase trade and expand cooperation in areas such as agriculture and food security.

Indonesia shares fundamental values ​​with us, as well as strategic goals, it is a strategic partner, Kishida said at a press conference after their meeting.

He said that the Japan Self-Defense Forces will take part in the joint military exercise Garuda Shield, which will be held in Indonesia from August 1 with the participation of the United States, Australia and other countries. This will be Japan's first participation.

The US said the annual exercise, usually held between Indonesia and the United States, will be significantly larger in scale and scope than in previous years.

Japan will also provide the Indonesian government with a 43.6 billion yen ($318 million) loan for infrastructure projects and disaster prevention, as well as cooperation in areas such as energy, Kishida said.

In his speech, Jokowi emphasized the practical aspects of bilateral relations and mentioned that the two countries have agreed on changes to the economic partnership agreement between Indonesia and Japan, which is due to be signed later this year, although he did not elaborate.