Mutual Trust is Key to 50 Years of ASEAN-Japan Harmony

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - During a presentation on the foreign policy of the three Indonesian presidential candidates contesting the 2024 elections in early November in Jakarta, the Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, Kanasugi Kenji, looked very enthusiastic.

In the course of the presentation, which was held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Kanasugi actively asked questions to the presidential candidates, Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, and Anies Baswedan, regarding the foreign policy that each planned to adopt.

His enthusiasm reflected Japan's attention to Indonesia, not only in the context of a national entity, but also as a regional leader.

At almost all forums, Japanese leaders seem to be enthusiastically paying attention to Indonesia's steps, especially amid the current global order, which is tending toward bipolarity again, with some observers contending that the world is re-witnessing a situation similar to the Cold War.

Meanwhile, Japanese leaders have fixed their eyes on Indonesia. This was especially apparent during the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relations.

The moment was celebrated with the holding of the ASEAN-Japan Summit on December 16–18, 2023, in Tokyo, which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida co-hosted with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

On Saturday (December 17), ASEAN and Japan issued a joint statement on mutual friendship and cooperation.

In the statement, ASEAN and Japan agreed to deepen security and economic ties, enhance maritime security cooperation, strengthen supply chains, promote sustainable energy practices, and expand people-to-people exchanges in various sectors.

The two also launched a next-generation automotive industry initiative to map out a strategy that will make ASEAN an automotive production and export hub.

In addition, ASEAN-Japan agreed to support digital startups and accelerate investment to achieve decarbonization.

"With strong mutual trust, Japan and ASEAN will respond to new challenges," Kishida said at a press conference after the summit ended.

Fostering trust

The word "mutual trust" has been emphasized by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in the context of ASEAN-Japan relations.

According to her, the 50-year-long cooperation between ASEAN and Japan is the fruit of strong mutual trust.

She said that she wants this trust to continue to be fostered and strengthened so that the ASEAN-Japan partnership can continue to bring benefits to the next generation.

Mutual trust itself has been fostered since 1977 when the then Japanese PM Takeo Fukuda announced the principles of Japanese diplomacy in ASEAN.

The so-called Fukuda Doctrine affirmed Japan's commitment to no longer be a military power, and instead create heart-to-heart relationships and equal partnerships with Southeast Asian nations.

ASEAN has high trust in Japan because of its diplomacy style as, according to The Economist, Japanese diplomacy tends to differ from the "preachy or pushy diplomacy" of the United States and China.

No wonder then that a poll by the Center for ASEAN Studies at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore released earlier this year showed Japan to be ASEAN's most trusted partner.

China may be seen as the most influential economic and political power in Southeast Asia, in addition to being ASEAN's largest trading partner, with the trade volume since 2009 reaching US$722 billion. The figure is almost thrice the volume of Japan-ASEAN trade for the period, which amounted to US$268 billion.

However, Japan has surpassed China in terms of investment. In 2022, Japan invested US$27 billion in ASEAN, while Chinese investment in the region reached US$15.3 billion.

This shows Japan's determination to be a partner in advancing ASEAN.

Important economic engine

Japan remains a critical economic engine for ASEAN, said Bhubhindar Singh of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

Japan itself has seized this opportunity by entering into as many commitments as possible, including pledging 40 billion Japanese yen for people-to-people programs and 15 billion yen for five-year research programs, with ASEAN.

Meanwhile, President Widodo on Monday (December 18) sought Japan's support for the acceleration of energy transition in the Southeast Asian region.

He expressed his hope for securing Japan's support during a business meeting attended by at least 78 CEOs of big companies in Japan, which was organized as part of the Commemorative Summit of the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation in Tokyo.

"In his speech, the President raised three cooperation focuses going forward, including support for energy transition acceleration in the form of easing access to innovative financing and technology transfer," Minister Marsudi, who accompanied the President, said at an online press conference after the summit.

In addition, Widodo encouraged the strengthening of the supply chain to support the development of ASEAN as a global hub for the electric vehicle industry.

He also called for regional economic integration through the optimization of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership, as well as the continuation of Japan's concrete projects in the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum.

"The role of Japanese businesses through their quality investment is very strategic to support development in the Southeast Asian region," Marsudi said.

The President also said he hoped that Japanese business players would utilize various new agreements forged under the Indonesian-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) framework.

ANTARA

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