Koizumi seeks to expand influence in Asia<\/p>\n
Shingo Ito, Agence France-Presse, Tokyo<\/p>\n
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will use a trip to
\nSoutheast Asian nations this week to try to strengthen Tokyo's
\neconomic and political influence in the region in the face of
\nChina's growing clout.<\/p>\n
Koizumi will visit the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand,
\nIndonesia and Singapore in a trip starting on Wednesday. The tour
\nwas originally scheduled for September but postponed after the
\nterrorist attacks in the United States that month.<\/p>\n
It is the popular prime minister's first trip to those five
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries since he
\ntook office in April last year.<\/p>\n
\"This trip is a good opportunity to hammer out our new
\npartnership with key Asian countries,\" a foreign ministry
\nofficial said.<\/p>\n
Koizumi will start the week-long trip in Manila, where he will
\nmeet Philippine President Gloria Arroyo on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the Japanese premier flies to Kuala Lumpur to
\nmeet Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad before moving on to Bangkok
\non Friday to meet Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.<\/p>\n
Koizumi will talk with Indonesia's President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri in Jakarta on Saturday and Singaporean Prime
\nMinister Goh Chok Tong in the city state on Sunday before
\nreturning to Tokyo on Jan. 15.<\/p>\n
Koizumi is likely to use this trip to boost Japan's profile in
\nthe region in a bid to counter China's intensified dialog with
\nASEAN members, said Yasuhiro Takeda, professor of international
\naffairs at National Defense Academy in Japan.<\/p>\n
\"One of the main purposes of his trip is to stress Japan's
\nrole in the region and the importance of close ties between Japan
\nand ASEAN members, at a time when China is approaching ASEAN
\nrapidly,\" Takeda said.<\/p>\n
In November, Japan was left out in the cold when China and the
\n10-member ASEAN agreed to create the world's most populated free
\ntrade bloc within 10 years, covering two billion consumers.<\/p>\n
During the trip, Koizumi is expected to propose an action plan
\nto form a comprehensive economic alliance, including free trade
\naccords, with ASEAN members.<\/p>\n
Japan is likely to hold a working-level meeting this month
\nwith ASEAN counterparts to begin drawing up the action plan, the
\nYomiuri Shimbun said paper, adding that Tokyo hopes to launch the
\nalliance in five to 10 years.<\/p>\n
The alliance would include free trade accords, mutual
\ninvestment agreements, energy security treaties and a framework
\ndesigned to protect intellectual property, the newspaper said.<\/p>\n
In October, Japan and Singapore completed negotiations to
\nlaunch a bilateral free trade accord, the first ever for the
\nworld's second-biggest economy.<\/p>\n
\"Another objective of the trip is to let Asian countries
\nunderstand that Japan will never return to being a military
\npower,\" National Defense Academy's Takeda said.<\/p>\n
Concerns about Tokyo's potential revival of militarism grew
\nafter Koizumi made a controversial visit in August to the
\nYasukuni Shrine dedicated to the nation's 2.5 million war dead,
\nincluding several war criminals.<\/p>\n
\"The ASEAN governments do not believe that Japan will become a
\nmilitary power again, but ordinary people in the countries still
\nhave fears and memories of Japan's militarism,\" Takeda said.<\/p>\n
Many Asian survivors, in particular from China, South Korea
\nand the Philippines, are still seeking an apology and
\ncompensation from the Japanese government for the brutality they
\nsuffered at the hands of Japanese occupiers before and during
\nWorld War II.<\/p>\n
Concerns about Japan's military activity were also raised by
\nJapan's decision to dispatch warships to the Indian Ocean to
\nprovide non-combat support for the U.S.-led campaign against
\nterrorism in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
It was the first time since 1945 that Tokyo authorized
\nJapanese troops to support U.S. military action outside Japan's
\nterritory and its surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
Analysts also said Koizumi would seek ASEAN leaders'
\nunderstanding of Tokyo's plan to reduce its overseas aid as part
\nof Koizumi's efforts to reduce the nation's massive national
\ndebt.<\/p>\n
ASEAN members are the biggest beneficiaries of Japan's aid
\nafter China, which received 214.4 billion yen (US$1.6 billion) in
\nJapanese low-interest loans, followed by the Philippines with
\n128.8 billion yen in the year to March 2001.<\/p>\n
Indonesia was the third largest beneficiary, receiving 99.1
\nbillion yen, with Vietnam getting 70.9 billion yen.<\/p>\n
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
\nMyanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>",
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