Japan gov't eyes ODA for upgrading Indonesia's fishing ports: sources

Japan is planning to use its official development assistance to help upgrade Indonesia's fishing ports and enable coast guard patrol vessels of the Southeast Asian country to make stops there, Japanese government sources said Sunday.

Tokyo's support for the diversification of port operations, which would allow the Indonesian patrol vessels to operate in more areas, is aimed at bolstering Indonesia's maritime surveillance capabilities, amid illegal fishing and smuggling in the South China Sea.