JMT Director Joins ASEAN Forum as Panellist on Strategic Cooperation

KUALA LUMPUR, 19 August 2025—The Regional Forum to Deepen Stakeholder Awareness and Engagement on the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Strategic Plan was held on 19 August 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia and the ASEAN Secretariat co-hosted the forum. The forum is part of the Supporting the Development of the ASCC Strategic Plan project, which was supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).

Director of JMT, Naoki Minamiguchi participated as a panellist for the Panel Discussion 2: “Reinventing Cooperation and Partnership in the Context of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.” He joined a distinguished panel including Eminent Person to the High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Post-2025 Vision, Chairman of ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), Elizabeth Buensuceso, Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), Tan Sri Nazir Razak, and Secretary General of the Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (AsiaDHRRA), Marlene Ramirez, moderated by Ad Hoc Working Group Co-Chair Malaysia, Christina Yeo Ken Yin. The discussion explored strategies for diversifying financing and resource mobilisation to support the implementation of the ASCC Strategic Plan beyond 2025.

The forum was officially opened by Minister for Tourism, Culture and Arts of Malaysia and ASCC Council Chair for 2025, Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Kao Kim Hourn, as well as Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN, KIYA Masahiko.