Japanese Ambassador to ASEAN Kiya Masahiko (R) in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency's resident correspondents. (Photo: VNA) Speaking to Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’scorrespondents in Jakarta, Ambassador Kiya said that this vision has already been presented more than 40 years ago when Prime Minister Fukuda came over to ASEANand made a policy speech, which is now called Fukuda doctrine.
The doctrine underlined that Japan will never become a military power threatening the region, while promoting the heart toheart relationship, understanding and mutual trust, supporting ASEAN’s efforts forresilience and unity as an equal partner, he said, stressing that this has beenunderlying factual values which have driven Japan's cooperation with ASEAN over the last 50 years.
Regarding Japan’s policy and prioritiesin the relations with ASEAN, the diplomat said that Japan will fully supportASEAN’s initiative of implementing a mainstreaming ASEAN Outlook on theIndo-Pacific (AOIP), as this is in line with and shares the fundamental principleswith Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision, which is to bring about the rule oflaw and peace and prosperity in this region. He said that Japan's national security strategy, which was announced in December last year, highlighted the country’s renewed commitment to promote Free and Open Indo-Pacific, andASEAN is in its core.
Mentioning the position of Vietnam in the overallexternal policy of Japan in general and the FOIP in particular, as well as therole that Vietnam plays in the ASEAN-Japan cooperation, Ambassador Kiya saidthat Vietnam is a very important country in ASEAN for Japan.
In terms of investment, according to thelatest survey by the Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO), thepercentage of Japanese companies who are willing to expand their activitiesinvestment in Vietnam is the highest of all the ASEAN countries.
The two-way flow of people is also equallyimportant, he said, noting that the two countries are quite prominent in peopleto people exchanges, including tourism.
He said he hopes that the Vietnam willdrive and deepen the ASEAN-Japan cooperation through business, people to peopleexchange and mutual understanding.
The ambassador said that the ASEAN-JapanCommemorative Summit will be held in Tokyo in December on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of their relationship, and it will be a big important landmark summit meeting with a goodjoint statement to go with action plans.
In addition, an ASEAN-Japan summitmeeting will be held in Jakarta in September, along with a number ofASEAN-Japan ministerial meetings, including an ASEAN-Japan foreign ministers’meeting and a justice ministers’ meeting in July, and another tourism ministers’dialogue in Japan in October this year, he said.
He said he hopes that these meetings will provide forums for both sides to share ideas and suggestions on other important areas along with the AOIP, like public health, or globalhealth, disaster management, digitalisation, decarbonisation, and thecircular economy.
“And all those important issues can best beaddressed by the collaboration, co-creation, co-innovation by the newgenerations of the people of ASEAN and Japan, and we are hoping that this yearwill be a good opportunity to raise the level of cooperation to a higher level,”stated the ambassador./.
VNA
