Ketergantungan Industri Otomotif Jepang di Indonesia: Analisis PolitikKetergantungan Struktural

Abstract

This reseacrh examines the structural dependence of Indonesia’s automotive industry on Japan within the context of the global political economy. Since the 1970s, Japan has dominated Indonesia’s automotive market through its control over capital, technology, and global production networks. Using a descriptive qualitative approach and library research methods, this study draws on classical dependency theory Prebisch, Baran, Frank, and Dos Santos combined with the Global Value Chain (GVC) framework. Data were collected from the Indonesian Central Statistics Agency (BPS), GAIKINDO, the Ministry of Industry, as well as academic publications and credible media sources such as CNN Indonesia, CNBC Indonesia, and Nikkei Asia. The findings reveal that the Japan–Indonesia automotive relationship reflects an unequal core periphery structure. Japan functions as the core, controlling technology, innovation, and investment, while Indonesia occupies the periphery, relying on Japan for market access, labor absorption, and industry policies shaped by Japanese interests. Four main forms of dependency are identified: technology, capital, market, and policy. These patterns demonstrate that dependency theory remains relevant for explaining Japan’s dominance in the global automotive value chain.