Japan and ASEAN firmed up their already close relationship at their meetings in Tokyo over the weekend. After five decades, Japan has proved to be a reliable partner of ASEAN in all areas.

The new joint vision statement and action plans will ensure that their relations will proceed in the right direction in the years to come. They form a roadmap for the future generation to pursue a new direction for cooperation.

Officials from the two countries have spent nearly a year fine-tuning ideas and programs that both sides can implement together to deepen their strategic relations and cooperation. Thailand, as the coordinator of ASEAN-Japan ties, plays an important role in shaping the scope and substance of that future cooperation.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has also strongly pushed for close ties and cooperation with the ASEAN bloc in this age of global uncertainties. Japan is well aware that in a world of great geopolitical flux, the ASEAN community will be Japan’s most reliable friend in the region. Its Western allies and friends are located far away and have their own agendas to contemplate. Oftentimes, policy changes can be swift and unexpected.

As far as the region is concerned, Japan has consistently provided financial and human resources to help ASEAN as a community of 670 million people to further consolidate their integration. During the Cold War, Japan played a crucial role in bridging the divide between ASEAN and the former Indochinese states.

Japan’s “heart-to-heart” approach has continued to win hearts and minds in the region. However, this time around, it was unfortunate that Myanmar was unable to share in the fruits of their ASEAN colleagues due to the domestic turmoil inside the country. Instead, the world’s youngest democracy, Timor Leste, was presented at the summit by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. Dili is expected to join ASEAN soon.

Japan has called for deepening its newly upgraded comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) status with the bloc. ASEAN currently has four CSP countries—China, Australia, India, and the US. South Korea has already applied to be the sixth CSP next year.

Most importantly, Japan and ASEAN will promote their cooperation under their own Indo-Pacific frameworks. Japan was the first country to issue a joint statement with ASEAN in 2020 to link up with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) over their cooperation in various priority areas.

Several other dialogue partners have followed Japan’s move. Under the Indonesian chair, ASEAN has tried to mainstream the ASEAN priority areas in maritime cooperation, connectivity, sustainability, and economic matters. Currently, there are around 90 ASEAN-Japan cooperation projects under the AOIP.

Kishida used the commemorative summit to reassure the ASEAN leaders that, based on strong mutual trust, Japan will stand with ASEAN in facing the complex crises and challenges that will impact the Indo-Pacific region.

Putting its money where the mouth is, over the next five years, Japan is also committed to providing US$35 billion from the public and private sectors for ASEAN to support measures to combat climate change, among other issues. He and the ASEAN leaders also agreed that there will be a new framework of partnership to strengthen cooperation for the production of electric and other next-generation vehicles.

In addition, for the next 10 years, Japan will also provide US$280 million to encourage people-to-people exchanges and another US$105 million for a project to support international joint research and other studies. As Kishida put it, he is preparing ASEAN-Japan relations for the next 50 years.

by Kavi Chongkittavorn