The political turmoil that has been plaguing Thailand since 2006 can become an advantage for Indonesia if the country manages to attract investors that were previously engaged in business or exploring business activities in Thailand. Although Indonesian politics are characterized by a certain level of uncertainty as well, particularly ahead of the upcoming July presidential election, the political situation is much more under control in Indonesia. Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia are Indonesia's greatest economic rivals in Southeast Asia.

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The Asean Automotive Federation (AAF) stated that motorcycle sales growth in the ASEAN region was recorded at 5 percent (year on year) in 2013. Motorcycle sales rose from 10.52 million units in 2012 to 11.09 million in 2013. It is interesting to note that motorcycle sales in Indonesia accounted for 70 percent of total motorcycle sales in the ASEAN region last year. Indonesian sales ammounted to 7.7 million units, followed by Thailand (2 million), Philippines (752,835), Malaysia (546,719) and Singapore (11,650).

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Indonesia's largest bread products manufacturer Nippon Indosari Corpindo plans to construct two new factories in 2018, a move that should translate to rising sales in the future. Cherie Theosarata, Head of Investor Relations at Nippon Indosari Corpindo, said the company will start building the two new factories in Gresik (East Java) and Lampung (South Sumatra) in the first quarter of 2018.

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In recent years, the Japanese economy has experienced significant hardships, generated largely by the aftermath of the hurricane and tsunami that hit the country in 2011. But newly adapted stimulus programs (the much-discussed programs of Abenomics) have boosted economic growth rates since that period. As a result, annual GDP is expected to rise to 1.8% for 2014, and these improvements are expected to have a supportive on the performances seen in surrounding economies in the Asia-Pacific region.

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