Japan-ASEAN ties<\/p>\n
Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto wound up his
\nSoutheast Asian tour yesterday with a message to leaders in the
\nregion of his intention to expand and deepen Tokyo's ties with
\ncountries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),
\nboth as a group as well as individually. His major foreign policy
\nspeech -- delivered in Singapore, the last stop on his tour that
\nincluded five ASEAN capitals including Jakarta -- recognized the
\nimportance of ASEAN, not only to Japan and Asia, but to
\ninternational diplomacy as well.<\/p>\n
The prime minister's proposed \"Hashimoto Doctrine\" suggests
\nthat the two sides expand ties beyond economics, which have
\nunderpinned their strong relations to date. He cited terrorism,
\nthe environment, health and welfare, food and energy shortages,
\npopulation, AIDS and drugs as issues that Japan and ASEAN would
\nhave to work closely on in the 21st century.<\/p>\n
A decade or two ago, the suggestion of closer Japan-ASEAN
\ncooperation would have raised suspicions among some people in the
\nregion. For them, it would have smacked of the Greater Asia
\nCoprosperity Sphere, a concept which sent Tokyo on its East Asia
\nmilitary campaign in the 1930s that started World War II in Asia.<\/p>\n
A decade or two ago, relations between Japan and individual
\nASEAN countries were based on dependence, as Japan's economic
\nprowess was able to achieve what its military was not 50 to 60
\nyears ago. Southeast Asian countries were reduced to being mere
\nsuppliers -- but not the only suppliers -- of raw materials for
\nJapanese industries. Any attempt to strengthen or formalize this
\ncondition at the time was bound to raise old emotions, as
\nwitnessed in the various anti-Japanese protests, some of them
\nviolent, in the 1970s and 1980s in ASEAN capitals.<\/p>\n
Times have changed and so have the conditions surrounding the
\nrelations between Japan and ASEAN. Memories of Japan's war
\natrocities remain in the minds of a few survivors, but for the
\nmajority of ASEAN's people, they are historical records. The
\neconomies of ASEAN have grown and their exports have become more
\ndiversified. Furthermore, their relations with Japan have
\nincreasingly become interdependent and mutually beneficial.<\/p>\n
Given the prevailing conditions, Hashimoto could not have come
\nup with his doctrine at a better time. His emphasis on expanding
\nties beyond economics should dispel any lingering doubts about
\nJapan's designs for Southeast Asia. Economic relations will
\ncontinue to be important, but they should not monopolize the
\nties. Given the strength of their economies, ASEAN should feel
\nmore confident about trading with Japan and more comfortable
\naddressing economic disputes that might come up between them.
\nJapan is still the largest export market for some ASEAN countries
\nand their prime source of investment, but relations are taking on
\nthe look of equal partnerships.<\/p>\n
The key to fruitful relations between Japan and ASEAN lies in
\nthe recognition of interdependence as well as shared interests
\nand goals, even if they have different approaches to resolving
\nproblems. Japan's concerns about security in Asia, for example,
\nare shared by ASEAN countries, though Hashimoto's defense of the
\nAmerican military presence in the region might be frowned upon by
\nsome ASEAN leaders.<\/p>\n
This is where dialog comes in and can play a key role in
\nresolving and ironing out differences. Hashimoto's proposal for
\nmore intensive talks, including an annual summit between Japanese
\nand ASEAN leaders, should be seen in this light. ASEAN's leaders
\nneed to give Hashimoto's proposal a serious look when they meet
\nin Kuala Lumpur for their informal summit in December. After all,
\nit is a partnership between Japan and ASEAN that he is
\nsuggesting, not an alliance.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/japan-asean-ties-1447893297",
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