Illustrative image (Photo: Internet) Tokyo (VNA) – The ASEAN-Japan Special Meeting of JusticeMinisters (AJSMJ) openedin Tokyo, Japan on July 6, marking thefirst ministerial-level meeting on law andjudicial matters between ASEAN member countries and a dialoguepartner.
Inhis opening speech, Japanese Minister of Justice Saito Ken stressed that 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan friendship and cooperation. Strengthening cooperation with ASEAN is apriority of Japan, particularly as ASEAN increasingly becomes an importantregion for peace, prosperity and growth.
Saito said theJapanese Ministry of Justice is promoting "Justice Affairs Diplomacy,"an initiative aimed at promoting fundamental values such as the rule of law andrespect for human rights. Under this initiative, the ministry has been providing legal training and technical assistancefor Asian countries, including ASEAN member states, for many years.
Tofurther promote "Justice Affairs Diplomacy" with ASEAN partners, the ministry became the first dialogue partner with ASEAN in the fieldof law and justice in 2021, and since then, it has been participating in theannual ASEAN Senior Law Officials’ Meeting(ASLOM)-Japan Consultation, he said.
Saitopledged that the ministry will play a pioneering role in promoting andupholding fundamental values through discussions and achieving consensus onoutcome documents at AJSMJ. It also aims to further enhance long-terminitiatives such as technical legal support to realise thosefundamental values, as a means to advance the "Justice AffairsDiplomacy" strategy.
The meeting adopted a Joint Statement committing to strengthenand promote shared values and foundational principles such as the rule of law,respect for human rights, national sovereignty and regional integration, byenhancing cooperation in the field of law and justice between ASEAN and Japan.
Delegates underlined the importance of cooperation andcoordination between ASEAN and Japan in the field through Japan's "JusticeAffairs Diplomacy" initiative, to build a peaceful and prosperousinternational community that shares and reinforces foundational values.
Thejoint statement affirmed that to deliver on the sharedcommitments, the meeting will continue with mutual liaison based on a friendly, cooperative and equal partnership spirit,while committing to ushering ASEAN-Japan cooperation into a new phase./.
