ASEAN - Japan Exchange Year 2003

ASEAN - Japan Exchange Year 2003
(Nihon-ASEAN Koryunen 2003)

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi proposed to designate the
year 2003 as the "ASEAN - Japan Exchange Year" during his visit
to Southeast Asian countries last January.

Exchange program and activities would not only contribute to
deepening mutual understanding between ASEAN and Japan as they
should galvanize their economies, which have been suffering since
the Asian Financial crisis in 1997 and 1998.

To conduct exchange activities through the year 2003 with the
participation of all the countries, Japan and 10 ASEAN members,
each of the 10 ASEAN countries and Japan is designated as a key
coordinator in each month of 2003.

Each exchange activity is organized under the leadership of
the key coordinator country in a particular month. Indonesia will
host July 2003 and the contact point of Indonesia is ASEAN
Functional Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The
following are key coordinator countries in each month of 2003.
(Official site: http://mofa.go.jp/region/asia-
paci/asean/year2003)

January Japan
February Filipinos
March Myanmar
April Thailand/Japan
May Brunei Darussalam
June Malaysia
July Indonesia
August Lao PDR
September Vietnam
October Singapore
November Cambodia
December Thailand/Japan