Japan envoy says trust is ASEAN partnership's greatest asset
“The significant achievement in our relations with ASEAN, that I can say with confidence, the most significant achievement is the trust we have built over the years,” Ambassador Yonetani said in an interview with ANTARA for the International Corner program in Jakarta on Thursday.
According to him, Japan and ASEAN have worked together since the beginning and now have a strong foundation of mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual understanding. Ties between trusted partners have developed and grown stronger over the years.
Yonetani explained that the relationship between Japan and ASEAN did not develop automatically from the beginning. The first dialogue, established in 1973, was on the issue of synthetic rubber, which was a new product at that time.
The relationship then reached an important milestone in 1977 when Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda delivered a policy speech in Manila after visiting several countries in the Southeast Asian region.
In the speech, Fukuda made clear Japan’s commitment to building “heart to heart relationships” with the people of the region by listening to the people, promoting mutual understanding, and building relations based on mutual respect.
“Since then, the constant posture of Japan is to listen to the people, understand better, and pay respect,” Yonetani said.
The ambassador explained that the principle has continued to be tested by various challenges faced by both Japan and Southeast Asia, including the Asian financial crisis, the major earthquake in Japan, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout these difficult periods, Japan and ASEAN have consistently stood together and supported one another.
He said that the shared experience of facing various challenges has further deepened Japan-ASEAN ties and become an important part of the achievement of the partnership between the two sides over the decades.
Today, Japan-ASEAN relations have developed into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. According to the ambassador, the relationship is not only reflected in principles and political commitments, but also in concrete cooperation that is jointly planned, implemented, and regularly evaluated.
Related news: Indonesia promotes World Mangrove Center at ASEAN forestry forum
Related news: Indonesia pushes ASEAN toward long-term disaster resilience