ASEAN and Japan: Golden Friendship, Golden Opportunities
The Jakarta Post published an article contributed by Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan on the occasion of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings in Jakarta.
In the article, Minister Hayashi reiterates Japan’s new plan for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) which shares its fundamental principles with the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) adopted by ASEAN and a new contribution of USD 100 million to the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), which has been supporting ASEAN countries in their efforts toward regional integration and community building.
In addition, Minister Hayashi also mentioned Japan and ASEAN have developed a relationship not only as major trade and investment partners but also as true friends with “heart-to-heart” relations built through a wide range of people-to-people exchange, one of which is JENESYS programme which has sent and invited approximately 47,000 people to and from ASEAN countries and Japan since 2007.
