TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Softbank CEO, Masayoshi Son, said the Japanese holding company is interested to invest in the development of Indonesia's new capital city in East Kalimantan capital city. However, he has not revealed any numbers regarding such investment.

"The numbers have not been decided," said Masayoshi Son after meeting President Jokowi at the Presidential Palace on Friday, January 10, 2020.

However, Masayoshi asserted that the capital city investment will be separate from the previous USD2 billion and will be a new form of investment to fund the development of what is slated to be Indonesia's inaugural smart city.

Masayoshi explained that Indonesia's plan to establish a capital city that is green, technologically-advanced, and equipped with artificial intelligence has gainsed SoftBank's interest.

"That is what we are interested in helping to build," Masayoshi said.

As previously reported on January 7, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan claimed that SoftBank is interested in funding the new capital city project and reportedly willing to invest as many as USD 100 billion.

"[The CEO of Softbank Masayoshi Son] pushes me, said he want to invest USD 100 billion. For me, this is too good to be true," said Luhut while attending the Christmas celebration in the office of the Agency for Research and Application of Technology (BPPT) on Tuesday, January 7, 2020.

AHMAD FAIZ