Major General Soedjono Hoemardani (7 September 191812 March 1986) was an Indonesian military officer. Soedjono originated from

Surakarta Surakarta (Javanese script, Javanese: , Pegon script, Pegon: ), known colloquially as Solo (Javanese script, Javanese: ; ), is a major List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in Central Java, Indonesia. The city adjoins Karanganyar Reg ...

and after an early career in his father's trading business he joined the fledgling

Indonesian National Armed Forces The Indonesian National Armed Forces (; abbreviated as TNI) are the military forces of the Republic of Indonesia. It consists of the Indonesian Army, Army (''TNI-AD''), Indonesian Navy, Navy (''TNI-AL''), and Indonesian Air Force, Air Force ('' ...

in 1945, at the start of the

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during A ...

, as a financial officer in Kodam IV/Diponegoro. He built up a relationship with

Suharto Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...

during his time under him, and as Suharto took power as President in 1966, he was appointed as a personal assistant ( Aspri). In this capacity, Soedjono was a major player in the economic relations between Indonesia and Japan. His actions in this role generated significant controversy, which culminated in 1974 when he was a target of demonstrators during the

Malari incident The Malari incident (; , short for ''Malapetaka Lima Belas Januari'', ) was a student demonstration and riot that happened on 15 and 16 January 1974 in Jakarta. In reaction to a state visit by the Japanese Prime Minister, Kakuei Tanaka, students ...

. After the incident, he toned down his relations with Japan publicly, though he maintained his Japanese connections until his death in 1986.

Early life

Soedjono was born in

on 7 September 1918 as the son of

Raden is a Japanese termRaden.

Semarang Semarang (Javanese script, Javanese: , ''Kutha Semarang'') is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Netherlands, Dutch Dutch East Indies, colonial era, and is still an important regio ...

, before returning to Surakarta to work on his father's business in 1937, and he also became the treasurer of a nationalist youth organisation Indonesia Muda (Young Indonesia).

Career

After the Japanese took power in Indonesia, Soedjono joined the Japanese reserve police force (''

Keibōdan The was an organization formed in 1939 immediately prior to World War II as ordered by the (announced January 25 and implemented April 1) in order to protect the people from air raids and fires.

'') and became a deputy commander. During the

, he started off in 1945 as a second lieutenant in the 4th Division (today Kodam IV/Diponegoro), and became a treasurer for a regiment within it. He was later promoted to first lieutenant in 1947 and was assigned as the division's financial officer. After the war, his rank was elevated to captain in 1950, major in 1957, and lieutenant colonel in 1961. During this period,

Soeharto Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...

was the commander of the Diponegoro division, and Soedjono was his financial officer. Soedjono also undertook a 10-month course in the United States Army Financial Management School at

Fort Benjamin Harrison Fort Benjamin Harrison was a U.S. Army post located in suburban Lawrence Township, Marion County, Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis, between 1906 and 1991. It is named for the 23rd United States president, Benjamin Harrison. History In 190 ...

, completing it in 1964. In mid-1966, several months following Suharto's takeover of the presidency (through the

Supersemar The Order of Eleventh March (), commonly referred to by its syllabic abbreviation ''Supersemar'', was a document signed by the Indonesian President Sukarno on 11 March 1966, giving army commander Lt. Gen. Suharto authority to take whatever mea ...

), Soedjono was appointed as one of six military officers in Suharto's personal staff, and as one of three junior officers (under the coordination of

Alamsyah Ratu Perwiranegara Alamsyah Ratu Perwiranegara (25 December 1925 – 8 January 1998) was an Indonesian retired military general and politician who served as State Secretary Minister, Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare, Minister of Religious Affairs, and Amba ...

). At the time, he held the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. By September that year, he was dispatched with

Adam Malik Adam Malik Batubara (22 July 1917 – 5 September 1984) was an Indonesians, Indonesian politician, diplomat, and journalist, who served as the third vice president of Indonesia from 1978 until 1983, under President Suharto. Previously, he serv ...

's delegation to the Netherlands, the US, and Japan, and the delegation announced Indonesia's reapplication to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

while it was in New York. In a 1969 interview, Soedjono remarked that Suharto's only order for the delegation for the United Nations was to "enter". When the delegation then went to Japan, Soedjono met with influential Japanese figures lobbying for relations with Indonesia, and established himself as the intermediary between Suharto's government and the lobby. The following year, industrialist Yutaka Kubota visited him to lobby for the resumption of the development of an aluminum plant at Asahan. Due to extensive powers they held, Suharto's personal staff was nicknamed as the "shadow government" around 1968. Suharto disbanded his personal staff due to suspicions of business interests in 1968, but the three army officers (including Soedjono) were immediately reappointed as "personal assistants" ( Aspri), and effectively nothing changed for them. With his new title, Soedjono continued engaging with Japanese investors (becoming a subject of student demonstrations in 1972 due to his involvement in the matter), lobbying for loans and investments almost exclusively outside formal diplomatic methods. He defended multiple times during interviews his role in allowing significant foreign capital control over firms operating in Indonesia, though he did help establish significant ties between some local entrepreneurs and Japanese investors. Additionally, a recommendation from Soedjono was considered essential for local entrepreneurs seeking to establish ties with Japanese companies. Soedjono was promoted to the rank of major general in 1969. In 1971, Soedjono, alongside

Ali Murtopo Ali Murtopo (23 September 1924 – 15 May 1984) was a prominent Indonesian general and political figure during the first half of General Suharto's New Order regime. Early life Ali Murtopo was born on 23 September 1924 in Kebumen, Central Ja ...

, backed the founding of the

Centre for Strategic and International Studies The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a non-profit organization based in Indonesia which has served as a think tank on social, international, political and economical issues. CSIS was founded on Sept 1, 1971 by a group o ...

. He was further appointed as an armed forces representative to the

People's Consultative Assembly The People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (, MPR-RI) is the legislative branch in Indonesia's political system. It is composed of the members of a lower body, House of Representatives (DPR) and an upper body, Regional R ...

in 1971.

Malari incident

Soedjono and Ali Murtopo were known in the early 1970s to be in opposing factions within the military leadership against

Sumitro Sumitro or Soemitro (13 January 1927 – 10 May 1998) was a prominent Indonesian general in the early years of General Suharto's New Order (Indonesia), New Order before suddenly falling from grace in January 1974 after the Malari incident. E ...

. Soedjono's well-known position as the conduit for Japanese investors became target of student protesters, who on 15 January 1974 rioted in what became known as the

. Effigies of Soedjono and Japanese PM

Kakuei Tanaka was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. Known for his background in construction and earthy and tenacious political style, Tanaka is the only modern Japanese prime minister who ...

(who was visiting) were burned by the protesters; eventually, Aspri was disbanded, and Soedjono was reassigned as an inspector general of national development in July 1974. After the incident, Soedjono's publicly visible relationship with Japanese investors diminished, though he maintained ties with his Japanese network throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Spiritual advisor

There was a popular belief that Suharto had relied on Soedjono for spiritual advice (Alamsyah had once referred to Soedjono, in criticism, as a "

dukun Dukun is an Indonesian language, Indonesian term for shaman. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion Magician (paranormal), sorcerers and masters of black magic. In comm ...

"). Suharto himself denied this in his autobiography, claiming that Soedjono had more often approached him for spiritual affairs.

Death

Soedjono died on 12 March 1986 in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, due to

internal bleeding Internal bleeding (also called internal haemorrhage) is a loss of blood from a blood vessel that collects inside the body, and is not usually visible from the outside. It can be a serious medical emergency but the extent of severity depends on b ...

. Before his body was transported back to Indonesia, he was visited by multiple of his Japanese colleagues (many from the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

), and his burial procession was accompanied by the Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia at the time. He was buried outside Surakarta.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* *{{cite journal , last1=Malley , first1=Michael , title=Soedjono Hoemardani and Indonesian-Japanese Relations 1966-1974 , journal=Indonesia , date=1989 , issue=48 , pages=47–64 , doi=10.2307/3351266 , issn=0019-7289, jstor=3351266, hdl=1813/53919 , hdl-access=free 1918 births 1986 deaths Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan Indonesian generals Indonesia–Japan relations Members of the People's Consultative Assembly People from Surakarta