Confirmation of Cooperation for the Realization of “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)”
The 23rd ASEAN-Japan Summit was held online on 12 November. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who attended the meeting, explained Japan’s position on Japan’s cooperation with ASEAN and the South China Sea issue in the wake of the new coronavirus. As a major achievement, a joint statement on cooperation with ASEAN’s Indo-Pacific initiative “ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)” has been adopted.
At the summit, Prime Minister Suga spoke about the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases and the “ASEAN-Japan Economic Resilience Action Plan” as cooperation with ASEAN following the “new corona pandemic.” The ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases was proposed by then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the ASEAN + 3 (Japan-China-Korea) Special Summit in April, and at the time of the Japan-ASEAN Summit, the establishment event of the Centre was also held.
The Feasibility Study on the Establishment of “ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases” is currently on-going and supported by the Government of Japan through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).