Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Surin Pitsuwan have agreed to further develop bilateral relations.
Surin told Kan during their talks in Tokyo on October 20 that Japan was extremely important for ASEAN's development, and he was looking forward to Japan's cooperation.
For his part, Kan said that the ASEAN region’s growth was linked to the peace and prosperity of Japan as well as the entire Asia-Pacific region.
The same day, Surin held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, who spoke highly of the bloc’s core role in regional cooperation mechanisms, such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Maehara said the Japanese Government was mapping out a “New Growth Strategy”, under which Japan would support the ASEAN member nations in developing infrastructure and making policies, based on its experiences and technologies.
Japan would also back the development of the Mekong sub-region, thereby narrowing the economic development gap and enhancing connectivity amongst regional countries, he said.
The minister told Surin that the Japan-ASEAN Summit scheduled to take place in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi later this month would provide a chance to further strengthen the relationship between the two sides.
Japan highly values ASEAN-Japan business dialogues and wants to promote exchanges between intellectuals and young people from Japan and the ASEAN nations, Maehara said.
Both sides agreed that Japan ’s appointment of a permanent ambassador to ASEAN – the first nation outside the region to do so – has helped to consolidate and develop bilateral relations.
In an interview granted to The Asahi Shimbun, the ASEAN chief said the bloc was ready to serve as a forum for dialogue for China and Japan to solve territorial disputes.
Regarding ASEAN’s expected endorsement of the participation of the US and Russia in the EAS next year, Surin said, “The energies that would be achieved ... will benefit the region and will continue to provide ASEAN with a central role”./.
Surin told Kan during their talks in Tokyo on October 20 that Japan was extremely important for ASEAN's development, and he was looking forward to Japan's cooperation.
For his part, Kan said that the ASEAN region’s growth was linked to the peace and prosperity of Japan as well as the entire Asia-Pacific region.
The same day, Surin held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, who spoke highly of the bloc’s core role in regional cooperation mechanisms, such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Maehara said the Japanese Government was mapping out a “New Growth Strategy”, under which Japan would support the ASEAN member nations in developing infrastructure and making policies, based on its experiences and technologies.
Japan would also back the development of the Mekong sub-region, thereby narrowing the economic development gap and enhancing connectivity amongst regional countries, he said.
The minister told Surin that the Japan-ASEAN Summit scheduled to take place in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi later this month would provide a chance to further strengthen the relationship between the two sides.
Japan highly values ASEAN-Japan business dialogues and wants to promote exchanges between intellectuals and young people from Japan and the ASEAN nations, Maehara said.
Both sides agreed that Japan ’s appointment of a permanent ambassador to ASEAN – the first nation outside the region to do so – has helped to consolidate and develop bilateral relations.
In an interview granted to The Asahi Shimbun, the ASEAN chief said the bloc was ready to serve as a forum for dialogue for China and Japan to solve territorial disputes.
Regarding ASEAN’s expected endorsement of the participation of the US and Russia in the EAS next year, Surin said, “The energies that would be achieved ... will benefit the region and will continue to provide ASEAN with a central role”./.
