Japan PM Kishida vows to work with ASEAN
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses ASEAN leaders at a dinner in Tokyo
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Saturday to cooperate with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to improve their respective economies by boosting investment in the fast-growing bloc and promoting people-to-people exchanges.
At a dinner with ASEAN leaders on the eve of a special summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of friendship and cooperation between Japan and the 10-member group, Kishida also announced the launch of a new initiative for the next-generation auto industry.
The initiative is aimed at mapping out strategies that will enable ASEAN to continue being the world’s hub of car production and exports, Kishida said, while vowing to establish a human exchange program between Japan and the region over the next decade.
By joining hands to develop their economies, the “free and open global order based on the rule of law will be more consolidated,” Kishida said, calling on ASEAN to “create peace and prosperity together in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Tokyo’s substantial cooperation with ASEAN goes back to 1973, when they set up a forum on synthetic rubber as a solution to a trade friction over Japanese rubber exports. Kishida said Japan will accelerate the exchange of young business leaders with the region.
Kishida is scheduled to cohost the special summit with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. After the gathering, a “joint vision statement” is expected to be issued, along with its implementation plan, Japanese government officials said.
