On March 6, 2025, the sixth President of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was invited to give a special lecture at GRIPS with the support of the Embassy of Indonesia in Japan and the Japan-Indonesia Association, Inc. This lecture was part of the activities of the Policy Research Network on Contemporary Southeast Asia under the GRIPS Alliance and was attended by approximetely 300 participants, including Indonesian students living in Japan and official representatives of Indonesia.
?Contemporary Southeast Asia Policy Research Network

The special lecture began with GRIPS President Hiroko Ota expressing gratitude in her welcoming remarks for Dr. Yudhoyono's third visit to GRIPS. Dr. Yudhoyono then conveyed his great expectations for GRIPS' efforts to train talented Indonesian students and promote intellectual exchanges with Indonesian think tanks. He also touched on the current changes in the world’s strategic balance and ASEAN’s response, emphasizing that Japan should strengthen its role as a middle power and fulfill its responsibility to maintain international stability. He highlighted Indonesia’s aim to realize a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and the importance of cooperation with Japan.
After the lecture, Professor Nobuhiro Aizawa of GRIPS moderated a lively Q&A session, where enthusiastic questions from participants led to a meaningful discussion. President Ota presented Dr. Yudhoyono—who is also the owner of the Indonesian men’s volleyball team—with a ball signed by the Japanese volleyball team from the Paris Olympic Games, which had been donated by the Japan Volleyball Association. The lecture concluded with a round of applause from the audience.

Following the special lecture, there was also an exchange session with Indonesian students studying in Japan, including those at GRIPS. Moderated by Dr. Dino Patji Djalal, Chairman of the Indonesian Think Tank FPCI (https://fpcindonesia.org/), there was a lively Q&A session with the students about studying abroad and future careers, which lasted well beyond the scheduled time.

*The special lecture will be available for viewing on GRIPS’ YouTube channel at a later date.

?GRIPS Official YouTube Channel