Japan seeks broader ties with ASEAN<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (Agencies): Japanese Premier Ryutaro Hashimoto
\nyesterday unveiled an ambitious plan to intensify relations with
\nSoutheast Asia with annual summits and a vast array of
\ncooperation programs in the 21st century.<\/p>\n
Saying it was time for Japan and the Association of Southeast
\nAsian Nations (ASEAN) to have "broader and deeper" ties beyond
\neconomics, he proposed bilateral security talks and joint efforts
\non everything from fighting terrorism to battling pollution.<\/p>\n
The blueprint, dubbed the "Hashimoto Doctrine", was unveiled
\nat the end of the Japanese leader's tour of five nations
\nbelonging to ASEAN, one of Japan's most vital international
\npartners.<\/p>\n
In a lecture attended by Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok
\nTong and foreign diplomats, Hashimoto said Japan and ASEAN
\n"should reform their cooperative relationship in a manner
\nsuitable for a new era."<\/p>\n
He said his proposal for annual Japan-ASEAN summits was backed
\nby Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Malaysia's Premier Mahathir
\nMohamad, Indonesian President Soeharto, Vietnamese Premier Vo Van
\nKiet, and Singapore's Goh.<\/p>\n
"In order to promote Japan-ASEAN cooperation, strong political
\nleadership is indispensable. Dialogs at top levels should be
\nenhanced to build stronger personal ties of trust between top
\nleaders," he said.<\/p>\n
"We should make use of occasions such as formal and informal
\nASEAN summit meetings. I proposed this idea to the leaders I met
\nduring this visit, and obtained their agreements on this basic
\nidea," he said.<\/p>\n
Hashimoto is expected to send an emissary soon to the two
\nASEAN leaders he did not meet during the tour -- Philippine
\nPresident Fidel Ramos and Thai Premier Chavalit Yongchaiyudh --
\nto get their endorsement.<\/p>\n
If the annual summits push through, Japan would be the first
\nmajor power regularly included in ASEAN summits.<\/p>\n
ASEAN leaders have agreed to meet informally at the end of
\nevery year, with formal summits held roughly every three years.<\/p>\n
The first informal summit held last November in Jakarta
\nincluded ASEAN applicants Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.<\/p>\n
Hashimoto proposed "frank dialogs on regional security issues
\nwith each of the ASEAN countries on a bilateral basis," another
\nunprecedented move.<\/p>\n
He said Japan, which starts a two-year stint this year as a
\nnon-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council,
\nwould like to "closely consult with ASEAN" at the world body.<\/p>\n
In other areas, Hashimoto said Japan and ASEAN should work
\nclosely on what he called issues of the 21st century --
\nterrorism, the environment, health and welfare, food and energy
\nshortages, population, AIDS and drugs.<\/p>\n
In his lecture, Hashimoto stressed that future Japan-ASEAN
\ncooperation would depend on regional stability, and the "most
\nimportant factor" to ensure this is the U.S. military presence.
\nJapan hosts some 47,000 American troops, nearly half the 100,000
\nsoldiers, sailors and airmen deployed by Washington across the
\nAsia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n
"Even after the end of the Cold War, several unstable factors
\npersist in the region," Hashimoto continued.<\/p>\n
He said that these factors could only be kept from escalating
\nby the U.S., "a country of unrivaled power and founded upon
\nprinciples such as democracy, market mechanism and respect for
\ncreativity."<\/p>\n
Hashimoto also urged ASEAN and the entire international
\ncommunity to continue engaging China and support its
\nmodernization efforts "so that she can secure her position as a
\nconstructive partner in the international community."<\/p>\n
He offered Japanese advice on fighting pollution, a growing
\nproblem in ASEAN's red-hot economies, "so they will not repeat
\nthe same mistakes" made by Japan when it was at the same stage of
\neconomic development.<\/p>\n
The Japanese leader also said Tokyo was ready to help preserve
\nSoutheast Asia's cultural treasures, citing Japanese assistance
\nto restore Cambodia's Angkor Wat complex and the ancient
\nVietnamese city of Hue.<\/p>\n
Editorial -- Page 4<\/p>\n
Budget -- Page 12<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/japan-seeks-broader-ties-with-asean-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }