Greetings and salutations to readers of The Mainichi Daily News. On this, the 64th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, it gives me great pleasure to be able to offer you an overview of recent events in Indonesia, and to invite you all to join Indonesian citizens in Japan and throughout the world in celebration of our national day.

As you may know, Indonesia has recently held both legislative and presidential elections. Since its transition to a democracy the Indonesian people have passionately embraced the electoral process, and the elections saw an excellent voter turnout and peaceful and orderly campaigning and voting. This proves that in Indonesia ethnic, cultural and religious diversity are no barrier to fully functioning democracy, and that Indonesians are eager to play their part in the political system.

Also, thanks to determined and carefully implemented micro- and macroeconomic policies over the past four years, Indonesia was well placed to weather the recent economic turmoil. A pro-active governmental response to the crisis has seen the financial sector stabilized and real sector growth stimulated. All of this has, in turn, helped boost purchasing power for the average Indonesian and maintained strong private consumption.

As a result of the steps taken by the Indonesian government, the country’s economy has proven its resilience by posting a 6.1 percent growth in 2008 and 4.2 percent growth in the first quarter of 2009. In 2008, Indonesia still attracted foreign investment to the amount of US$14.87 billion -- a clear indication of the international community’s faith in its economic course -- and exports grew to US$139 billion. Indonesia's ratio of total government debt to total economic output has fallen from 100 percent in 1999 to 40.8 percent in 2006 and is expected to decline further to 30-35 percent by 2009. In addition, Indonesia’s competitiveness ranking improved nine places according to the International Institute for Management Development's World Competitiveness Yearbook.

At the same time, unfortunately, recent events have shown us that Indonesia, like all other countries, is not immune to the threat of terrorism. The bombing of the Ritz Carlton and JW Marriot hotels in Jakarta will not deter democracy in Indonesia however, and recent actions by the government in response to those attacks have also shown us that Indonesia will use the full power of the law and its security forces to protect its citizens. There were no political ties to the result of the election in regard to these acts, and the widespread public support for anti-terror measures also shows the marginalization of these terrorist elements. In addition, overseas tourists continue to choose Indonesia and there is no indication that foreign business confidence has been affected.

Regular readers will no doubt be aware that the past 18 months have been an eventful time for Indonesia and Japan. Last year we celebrated 50 years of warm and friendly diplomatic relations, and we now look forward to many more years of close cooperation. Numerous celebratory activities, held at governmental as well as at public and person-to-person levels, demonstrated that our close and mutually beneficial economic ties are complemented by a long history of social and cultural interaction. An example of this can bee seen in the recent arrival in Japan of Indonesian nurse and caregiver staff, and also of the increasingly broad and two-way traffic in tourism between Japan and Indonesia.

This brings me neatly to a topic about which I, and all Indonesians, are justifiably proud. Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,500 islands scattered across both sides of the equator, is one of the most biologically diverse countries on earth. The government and people of Indonesia consider this ecosystem to be both a national treasure and a paradise for all the people of the world to enjoy, and we look forward to welcoming visitors from Japan and around the world.

For those of us living in a major metropolis like Tokyo the lure of the sunsets and beaches of Bali is hard to resist. But I truly feel that it is no exaggeration to say that Indonesia offers something for everyone: from the world-renowned diving of Sulawesi to the hustle and bustle of cities like Jakarta and Yogyakarta, from the ancient mystery of Borobudur to the contemporary arts scene of Ubud ¬or the fearsome "dragons" of Komodo island, there is always somewhere new to explore.

Given the geography of the Indonesian archipelago, it is only natural that the vast majority of Indonesians live in close contact with the natural environment and are only too aware of its great beauty and fearsome power, but also its incredible fragility. As the increasing pace of industrial development takes an even greater toll on our planet, we in Indonesia can clearly see that now is the time for drastic action.

One of the most threatened of Indonesia's ecosystems is its forests, and in the past ten years considerable challenges have demanded that Indonesia refocus and reorient its forestry policies. At the forefront of this is a major forest management program and the government has embarked on several nationwide tree-planting programs. The first of these marked the convening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2007 in Bali, and was launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself. The program aimed to plant 79 million trees in one day, but the organizers were happy to report that this figure was surpassed by nearly ten million.