VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Tohoku Power Electric Co.'s Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant is seen in Onagawa town, Miyagi Prefecture, September 7, 2011. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo - 

TOKYO : Japan's Tohoku Electric Power said on Wednesday it will delay the restart of reactor No. 2 at its Onagawa nuclear station due to additional safety construction works, keeping all its nuclear power plants shutdown since the 2011 earthquake.

Japan is gradually bringing nuclear power back to its energy mix in a move to reach carbon neutrality goals and to reduce imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) which it imports from elsewhere including from Russia.

Tohoku, whose Onawaga plant was closest among Japan's nuclear stations to the epicentre of the magnitude-9 quake in March 2011, received a regulatory approval to restart the No. 2 reactor in 2020 but has seen a delay in completion of safety construction measures.

On Wednesday, it said it expected a delay of several months in finishing safety construction measures earlier targeted for February. Timing of the reactor restart, set for May, will also be changed, Tohoku said, without providing a new timeline.

The station was swamped by the 2011 tsunami, but survived with its cooling system intact, saving its reactors from the threat of meltdowns similar to those that occurred at Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Daiichi plant to the south.

Japan's Hokuriku Electric Power on Sunday reported a small oil leak from its Shika nuclear power station, which was shaken by a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, but said external radiation levels were not affected and there were no adverse impacts on the environment or human health.

Days before the magnitude 7.6 quake, which has killed over 200 people in the Hokuriku region, Japan's nuclear power regulator lifted an operational ban on Tokyo Electric Power's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's biggest.

Resumption of the plant, offline following the Fukushima disaster, needs consent from the local governments of Niigata prefecture, Kashiwazaki city and Kariwa village, where it is located, and its timing is unknown//CNA-VOI

Secretary of the Ministry of State Secretariat Setya Utama in a press statement at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta - 

Voinews, Jakarta - The Presidential Palace begins discussions on preparations for holding the independence ceremony in the Indonesian Capital City (IKN) on August 17, 2024.

Secretary of the Ministry of State Secretariat Setya Utama in a press statement at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Tuesday (9/1), said that the discussion was carried out in a large meeting involving all ministries and institutions, police and military representatives at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta.

He explained that in the first meeting he had discussed the details of the ceremony.

"Well, what we talked about earlier has started to get into the details. And we are committed to carrying out all the independence month series which are usually held in Jakarta at IKN. So there are provisions that must be implemented that the organizer is at IKN and we will do it there. Of course the preparations have to start now", Setya Utama said.

Setya Utama explained that the government has around 8 months to prepare for holding the Independence ceremony in the Indonesian capital//VOI

Mahendra Siregar during a press briefing held by the Commissioners of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) - 

Voinews, Jakarta - Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) Mahendra Siregar said that the stability of the national financial services sector is well maintained, supported by strong capital, adequate liquidity, maintained risk profile, so that it is expected to be able to face the potential slowdown in global economic growth.

Mahendra at the Services Sector Assessment Press Conference OJK Finance and Policy Results of the December 2023 Monthly Board of Commissioners (RDK) Meeting which was held virtually in Jakarta on Tuesday explained, Economic indicators show moderation in economic growth in several countries, especially in the European Union and China. 
 
"Slowing economic growth pushed inflation down closer to the inflation target, thereby providing room for the central bank to be more accommodative. In the US, the Fed indicated that it would reduce the policy interest rate by 75 bps in 2024 with the market assessing that the US economy is still quite resilient and is not expected to experience a recession", Mahendra Siregar said. 
 
According to Mahendra, the market is still paying close attention to future geopolitical developments, such as the escalation of tensions in the Red Sea as a result of the Palestine-Israel conflict, as well as the holding of general elections covering 50 percent of the world's population, especially in several major countries such as the US, European Union, India and Taiwan.

He added that, in general, sentiment on global financial markets tends to be positive in December 2023//VOI

Vice President Ma'aru Amin gives press statement in Yogyakarta - 

Voinews, Jakarta - Indonesian Vice President Ma’aruf Amin welcomed the opportunity for cooperation between Indonesia and Vietnam regarding the provision of halal certification. This was conveyed by the Vice President when answering media questions regarding the Vietnamese Government’s desire to collaborate with Indonesia regarding the provision of halal certification.

VietnameseAmbassador to Indonesia Ta Van Thong conveyed his will for cooperation sometime ago. In a press statement after reviewing the Self-Help Housing Stimulant Assistance Program (BSPS) and handing over social assistance from BAZNAS tothe community, in Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Region on Tuesday (9/10, VicePresident Ma’aruf Amin said there are two options regarding halal certification.

“I think we will respond to Vietnam’s wishes. There are two things, are they just a kind of management agency whose certification is in Indonesia or do they also have an agency for their own certification. Only we provide guidance and recognition. Vietnam can choose between the two”, Vice President Amin said. 

Vice President Ma’aruf Amin stated that he would encourage the Vietnamese government to communicate with the Halal Product Guarantee Organizing Agency (BPJPH) in Indonesia.

The Vice President explained that Indonesiaalready has various forms of cooperation in the sharia sector with a number ofcountries, including in Korea there is a halal institution with the name “This is Halal Indonesia” and in Shanghai, China under the name “Al-Amin”//VOI