According to the report, Vietnam occupies a key geopolitical location, bordering vital maritime routes in the East Sea and sharing a long land border with China. With the third-largest population in Southeast Asia and a rapidly growing middle class, Vietnam is seen as a promising market.

Hiroshima-based Fukuyama Transporting is training driver candidates in Vietnam and offering language courses and driving tests. It plans to hire 15 long-haul drivers around summer 2026.

The Kayan hydropower plant is not just an infrastructure project within the framework of the Asia Zero Emission Community but also a strategic investment for Indonesia’s energy security and decarbonisation efforts.

Among the companies showing strong interest, Japan’s Isuzu Motors plans to produce electric pickup trucks at its Thai facility, primarily for export. Other Japanese automakers, such as Mitsubishi Motors, also intend to expand their presence in Thailand.

Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro said stressed the need for a strong partnership between the Philippines and Japan to prevent any unilateral efforts to change the existing global framework.

Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani is expected to visit Manila from February 22 and reach an agreement with Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on the envisaged framework. The establishment of this new framework aims to strengthen Japan-Philippines defence cooperation.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo Enrique Manalo and his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya on January 15 agreed to continue communication with the incoming US administration of President-elect Donald Trump to promote their trilateral relationship.

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru announced a set of projects worth a total of 129 billion JPY (815 million USD) in Indonesia during his meeting with President Prabowo Subianto on January 11.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his visiting counterpart Ishiba Shigeru on January 10 agreed to strengthen ties to ensure regional security based on the rule of law and build robust supply chains, seeking to cement their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru began a four-day trip to Malaysia and Indonesia on January 9, as Tokyo aims to strengthen economic and security ties with the Southeast Asian nations, according to Kyodo News.

The Indonesian Ministry of Defence said on January 7 that it is currently in talks to strike a possible military technology transfer deal with Japan to enhance the Southeast Asian nation’s defence capabilities.

Malaysia has encouraged strategic collaboration in digital transformation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its dialogue partners, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK), at the bloc's Plus One Summits in Vientiane, Laos, on October 10.

Japan plans to introduce a method of calculating greenhouse gas emissions to Southeast Asian countries, where international emissions measurement systems have not been fully developed, in the framework of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related meetings in Vientiane, Laos on October 8-11.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan will expand its support for the development of information infrastructure in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.

ASEAN member countries and Japan are best-placed to work together to boost cyber resilience given the spectre of rising cyber threats in the region, according to a recent article published by the Singaporean-based ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute’s site fulcrum.sg.

Japan will coordinate with Southeast Asian countries and Australia on policies that reduce carbon emissions in a region that is particularly reliant on fossil fuels, according to Nikkei Asia.

Japanese farm equipment maker Iseki & Co. plans to have Indonesia manufacture 90% of products bound for overseas markets by 2030.

Indonesia's Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan and Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa signed the Protocol of Amendments to the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) in Jakarta on August 8.

Defence Minister of Japan Minoru Kihara and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Seiha on August 5 agreed that the two nations will continue to boost their defence cooperation and exchanges, the Japanese Defence Ministry said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko on July 23 announced the appointment of economic specialists at six diplomatic missions in five countries ahead of her visit to Laos and participation in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meetings (AMM) from July 25-28.