Ambassador Chiba presents a Letter of Credence to strengthen ASEAN relations
Ambassador Akira Chiba, the Permanent Mission of Japan to the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), submitted a power of attorney to Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi of the ASEAN Secretariat in South Jakarta on August 18 and officially began acting as the ASEAN Ambassador to Japan.
At a conference held after the submission of the power of attorney, Ambassador Chiba explained that ASEAN, which has more than 12,000 Japanese companies, is the second largest trading partner for Japan. He expressed his willingness to strengthen Japan-ASEAN relations through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) and the technical cooperation of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He also hopes to deepen cooperation in areas such as security, maritime affairs, counter-terrorism and international crime.
Regarding the East Asia Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), he stated that “conclusion within the year is a significant issue.” “The Japanese Government is making every effort to get good results from the RCEP negotiations,” he said.
Ambassador Chiba joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1984. He has served as Minister of the Embassy of Japan in Iran and Minister of the Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles. (Nobuyuki Takachi)
