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From Value One, Winter 2007-2008 No. 19 |
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Steel Business to Pick Up? |
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Indonesia and Japan will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2008. The current president of Indonesia, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has a high public approval rating, and the political situation is comparatively stable. Priority issues for the Indonesian government are (1) poverty policies, (2) creating employment, and (3) promoting economic growth. With regard to creating employment and promoting economic growth, the government has been trying to expand manufacturing, and there are hopes for new Japanese investments in the manufacturing sector.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Indonesia on August 20, 2007, and signed an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with President Yudhoyono that is scheduled to come into effect this year, the 50th year since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Regarding the steel business, the EPA's summary indicates that import tariffs will be abolished in five Indonesian growth sectors in which products are made with Japanese steel: (1) cars, including motorcycles, and parts; (2) appliances and electronics; (3) energy; (4) construction machinery and heavy equipment; and (5) reexports. A tariff-free system aimed at the final-demand sector is already in place, but it will be expanded to include tax exemption measures for steel service centers, which will benefit Metal One business investment affiliates. The bilateral steel trade is expected to be even livelier than before, and future trends in Indonesia will bear watching, everyone. |
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Mad about Weekend Softball |
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Golf at sunrise is the favorite way for Jakarta staff members from Japan to spend the weekend. On the other hand, softball is popular in the Japanese society there as well, and everyone-young and old, male and female-participates. There are two annual softball league competitions at the Jakarta Japan Club's facility. There are 27 teams in all, which are divided into three divisions of nine teams each. There are corporate and mixed teams, and players neglect their weekend family obligations to continue closely contested games. Although you might call it recreation, each team represents a company and plays seriously, with its pride on the line. Minor muscle tears, bruises, and dislocated joints are a matter of course. In response to supposed adults being totally immersed in a game the way children often are, wives' association members are often heard to ask, "Why do you have to push it so far?" Companies all issue internal bulletins at the start of the week, and former staff members in Japan receive reports on how the weekend's activities went.
There are Metal One employees on both the Mitsubishi and Sojitz teams. The Sojitz team is currently in the first division league, and the Mitsubishi team is in the second. Both teams are doing their best to finish first. Because games are played against business partners as well, business discussions sometimes get lively when the subject turns to softball. |
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Sambal, an Essential Cooking Ingredient |
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| Indonesian food is delicious and reasonably priced. Flavored with herbs and spices, it goes well with beer and white rice. Indonesians almost always mix a spicy condiment called sambal into their food. Sambal's ingredients and preparation differ depending on the family or restaurant, and some shops even list their own homemade sambal on the menu. I should add that even fast food comes with sambal. |
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| Raw sambal (left) and red sambal (right)-You can tell it's spicy just by looking at it! |
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Recommended Soups |
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Here are a couple of popular soups that go well with sambal.
1. Sop buntut (oxtail soup): This is a hearty soup that contains boiled oxtail, beans, and vegetables. Add red sambal to it with a squeeze of lime juice, pile it on a plate, and eat it mixed in with white rice. This soup's powerful flavor is addictive.
2. Soto ayam (spicy chicken soup): This nutritionally balanced, turmeric-flavored soup contains many |
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| Sop buntut and green sambal |
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