Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (Photo: VNA)He made the remarks at the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum in Jakarta,which is hosting the 43rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings.
The first area of cooperation is “Transportation Infrastructure Development”,he said, adding Japan facilitates the flow of people and goods among ASEANcountries by developing ports, roads, railroads and airports.
Japan has channeled some 2.8 trillion JPY (around 19 billion USD) intotransport projects in ASEAN. Besides hard infrastructure cooperation, Japan ispromoting soft infrastructure cooperation through technical cooperation, andproviding Japanese technology and knowledge to ASEAN member states.
The second area is “Digital Connectivity”,he said, highlighting Japan will work with ASEAN countries in enhancingdigitalisation and strengthening regional connectivity by utilising digitaltechnology, as well as contributing to cyberspace security.
He moved on to described “Maritime Cooperation” as an important element instrengthening connectivity between the two sides.
Japan will assist ASEAN members in promoting their maritime law enforcement capacitythrough training programmes and grant of patrol vessels for the coast guardagencies and maritime police.
The fourth area of cooperation is “Supply Chain Resilience”, under which Japanwill contribute to supply chain resilience in the ASEAN region, and will buildeconomies that can withstand a crisis together, he said, given that ensuringstable distribution of goods and food security have become important issuesamidst global headwinds.
Meanwhile, “Electricity Connectivity” is thefifth area of cooperation. The ASEAN region is experiencing rapid economicdevelopment, and demand for electric power is also growing. In order to ensurea stable electric power supply, Japan will support the improvement ofelectricity connectivity through the formulation of master plans and trainingprogrammes.
The last area is “Human and Knowledge Connectivity”, which theJapanese Prime Minister described as the foundation for development.
Japan will foster human resources in ASEAN countries through conductingpersonnel exchanges and training programmes in a wide range of fields, as wellas strengthen the network of people in Japan and ASEAN countries.
In these areas, Japan will provide capacity building projects for 5,000 individualsover the next three years. By promoting technical cooperation with ASEANcountries and strengthening our network, Japan will grow together with ASEAN,he stressed.
Japan will welcome the ASEAN leaders to Tokyo and host a Commemorative Summitin Tokyo in December to conclude the events to mark 50th anniversaryof the ASEAN – Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
Together with the ASEAN leaders, Japan wants to jointly launch a new vision forthe general direction of ASEAN – Japan relations and cooperation in the coming years, he added./.
VNA
