KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — Japan is committed to further strengthening its relationship with Asean in order to address the shared geopolitical issues facing the world today.
The Asean Outlook on the Indo Pacific should be mainstreamed with the help of all other Asean partners and Japan to maintain and strengthen peace and order in the region, according to Katsuhiko Takahashi, the ambassador of Japan to Malaysia.
He said both Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific and the Asean Outlook on the Indo Pacific shared similar principles such as transparency, inclusiveness, and respect for international law, which are important ideas in this new era.
“We are happy to note that the Japan-Asean relationship is based on these principles, which are becoming increasingly important.
“Japan will continue working with Asean countries while respecting the centrality of Asean,” he said in his keynote address at a forum on the 50th Year of Asean-Japan Friendship and Cooperation on Wednesday.
Takahashi said another approach to partnership involves tackling cross-cutting global issues such as energy and food security, digital economy, public health, and disaster management.
Japan and Asean are expected to hold a commemorative summit to mark the 50th year of the Asean-Japan partnership in Tokyo end of this year, he said.
Regarding Japan’s relations with Malaysia, the ambassador expressed the hope that both parties would continue to collaborate to update the “Look East Policy” and broaden its scope in the lead-up to its 50th anniversary in order to provide greater advantages to the people of the two countries.
The Look East Policy was introduced in 1982 by then-fourth prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and is the cornerstone of Malaysia-Japan relations ever since.
The policy which aimed to emulate exemplary Japanese work culture as well as technology expertise in developing the country had benefitted at least 26,000 Malaysians, who upon their return from further studies in Japan contributed in various fields and played an important role as a bridge to connect the two countries.
“Our bilateral relation is no longer one of donor-recipient, but has become a strategic partnership to complement each other and tackle the global issues together.”
He added that Japan also needs to learn from Malaysia, especially in terms of maintaining social stability as a multi-ethnic nation.
Malaysia and Japan upgraded their bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership in 2015.
Both sides had agreed to start working to upgrade the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in Oct last year.
— Bernama
