On 13 February, the Mission of Japan to ASEAN organised the Commemorative Symposium for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation co-hosted with Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) in a hybrid format, as a kick-off event of the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.

In the opening session, Dr. Dino Patti Djalal, Founder and Chairman of FPCI and H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, the Secretary-General of ASEAN made their opening remarks, followed by screening of video messages from H.E. Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Japan, H.E. Ms. Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, MOFA of the Republic of Indonesia, and H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and MOFA of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Then, the discussants, shared their constructive views on how to make the most of ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) cooperation, as well as ASEAN-led mechanisms and initiatives in order to realise a sustainable and resilient society and regional peace and stability for the Epicentrum of Growth.

In closing, Ambassador Kiya concluded the symposium by stating his appreciation to those people and discussants who attended and made great contributions, as well as expressing his determination to further strengthen ASEAN-Japan relationship, while highlighting the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation in the wake of this commemorative symposium.

About 180 people, including 20 students and a number of high-level participants, attended the event. The symposium was also livestreamed on YouTube.

Follow the links below to watch the video messages from Foreign Minister Hayashi and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and full version of closing remarks from Ambassador Kiya:

Video message by Foreign Minister Hayashi

Video message by Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi

Video message by Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai

Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) congratulate the Mission of Japan to ASEAN and the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia for organizing the “Commemorative Symposium for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation”. This major kick-off event in Jakarta brings together experts to deepen our understanding of the development of the ASEAN-Japan relationship for half a century and to discuss the way forward to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

Follow JAIF social media for more ASEAN-Japan commemorative activities in line with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) coming up this year!

The 3rd ASEAN Digital Ministers Meeting (ADGMIN) was held in Boracay Island, Aklan, Philippines on 9-10 February 2023. His Excellency Ivan John E. Uy, Minister of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), chaired the Meeting with His Excellency Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health of Singapore as the Vice-Chair.

With regards to digital cooperation with Dialogue and Development Partners, the Meeting acknowledged that several important projects under ASEAN-Japan 2022 ICT Work Plan were supported under the ASEAN-Japan ICT Fund (AJICTF) and noted that the ASEAN – Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre (AJCCBC) has accomplished its target of reskilling over 700 cybersecurity professionals from 2018 to 2022 and welcomed the start of the upcoming next phase of AJCCBC spanning from 2023 to 2027.

The Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) has been supporting the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre (AJCCBC) since 2018 to develop the capacity of personnel in cyber security of ten ASEAN nations.

Read the full statement here.

On 30 January, the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Chairperson Handover Ceremony was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN, KIYA Masahiko attended the ceremony.

Ambassador Kiya delivered his closing remarks at the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneur Network (AMEN) Regional Kick-Off event held during the handover ceremony, which marked the start of the 10-country roll-out of the AMEN project.

The AMEN Project is implemented by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council with the support of the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).

In his remarks, Ambassador Kiya stated that AMEN was an excellent Public-Private Partnership to improve MSMEs’ access to market, money and mentorship in the region, which would contribute to narrowing gaps.

He also emphasised that Japan would fully support priorities of Indonesia as the ASEAN Chair in 2023 including the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) mainstreaming.

Read full Ambassador Kiya’s remarks here.

The event also posted on AMEN’s Facebook page along with a video remarks from ASEAN-BAC Chairman.

Today, the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) welcomed junior officers from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV) who will take part in the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Attachment Programme.

This programme is one of the activities of the IAI which assists CLMV countries to meet ASEAN regional commitments and ensure that the benefits of ASEAN integration are equally shared.

The officers will be attached to the relevant divisions of the ASEAN Political-Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community, and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community for 12 months.

For more than 20 years, the programme has trained over 99 CLMV officers. In turn, these officers have promoted ASEAN integration and cooperation in their ministries and respective home countries. The programme is supported by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).

The officers were officially welcomed by Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Ekkaphab Phanthavong and Ambassador of the Japan Mission to ASEAN Kiya Masahiko.

Deputy Secretary-General Phanthavong thanked the Government of Japan and the JAIF Management Team (JMT) for their continued support towards the IAI Attachment Programme and for various other initiatives under the ambit of “Initiative for ASEAN Integration.”

Japan has shown consistent support for the IAI Attachment Programme for more than 20 years. This year is also the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, a major milestone in ASEAN-Japan relations.