Trust is the greatest achievement in Japan-ASEAN relations, says ambassador
Jakarta (ANTARA) — Japan’s Ambassador to ASEAN, Yonetani Koji, believes that the trust built over decades has been the most significant achievement in relations between Japan and ASEAN member states.
“The most significant achievement in our relationship with ASEAN — and I can say this with full confidence — is the trust we have built over the years,” Ambassador Yonetani said in an interview with ANTARA on the International Corner programme in Jakarta on Thursday.
According to him, Japan and ASEAN have cooperated since 1977 and now have a strong foundation of mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual understanding. The relationship as trusted partners has continued to develop and grow stronger year after year.
Yonetani explained that Japan-ASEAN relations did not form automatically from the outset. The dialogue that began in 1973 started with the issue of synthetic rubber, which at the time was a new product.
The relationship then reached an important milestone in 1977, when Prime Minister Fukuda delivered a speech on Japanese government policy in Manila after visiting several countries in Southeast Asia.
In that speech, Fukuda affirmed Japan’s commitment to building “heart-to-heart” relations with the peoples of the region — listening to their voices, promoting mutual understanding, and building a relationship grounded in mutual respect.
“Since then, Japan’s consistent stance has been to listen to the people, strive to understand them better, and show respect,” said Yonetani.
The ambassador explained that this principle has been tested by various challenges faced by the region and Japan, including the Asian financial crisis, major earthquakes in Japan, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In all these situations, he said, Japan and ASEAN have always stood together and supported one another.
He believes the experience of facing these challenges together has further strengthened Japan-ASEAN relations and formed an important part of the partnership’s achievements over recent decades.
Today, Japan-ASEAN relations have developed into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. According to Yonetani, this relationship is realised not only through principles and political commitments, but also through various concrete forms of cooperation that are planned, implemented and evaluated together.