Japanese diplomat emphasises middle-power cooperation to avert domination by a superpower
Jakarta (ANTARA) — Senior Japanese diplomat Masato Watanabe emphasised the importance of cooperation among middle-power countries to prevent domination by a superpower, amid escalating conflicts in the Middle East.
“In maintaining stability in this region (the Indo-Pacific), it is meaningful for a group of middle powers that have the capacity and the willingness to work together to prevent the formation of a framework solely dominated by a superpower,” he said at the opening of the FPCI-GRIPS Joint Seminar in Jakarta on Friday.
The diplomat, a Senior Fellow at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and a member of GRIPS Alliance, noted that the Indo-Pacific region is currently in a challenging environment. However, in a volatile international environment, he sees it as an opportunity for Japan and Indonesia — as fellow maritime nations — to develop cooperation for peace, stability, and the economic prosperity of the region.
“Indonesia occupies a highly strategic maritime hub and is an important country in Southeast Asia. In recent years, Japan and Indonesia, as fellow maritime nations, have strengthened their cooperative ties for peace, stability, and the region’s economic prosperity,” he said.
Watanabe also quoted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum Davos, that if we are not at the negotiating table, then we are on the menu. He deemed that statement resonant with countries within the orbit of great-power politics.
The middle powers, he added, need to unite and form pillars of influence to prevent the international order from being shaped solely by superpowers, particularly given that Japan and Indonesia are both G20 members.
Moreover, Watanabe suggested that cooperation with Indonesia could be enhanced through Indonesia’s leadership in the Global South. In recent years, Indonesia has emerged as a leader as the presence of Global South countries grows on the international stage.
“Furthermore, as the home of the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesia maintains strong ties not only with the Middle East and the Gulf but also with Muslim-majority countries around the world,” he added.