10/07/2025
ASEAN-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. 🇯🇵
July 10, 2025
1. Opening Remarks
The outline of Minister Iwaya’s statement is as follows.
The international community is currently at a major historical turning point, and regional and international situation is becoming increasingly severe and uncertain. Furthermore, tensions surrounding international trade are also rising, making it all the more necessary to maintain and strengthen a rules-based, free, fair, and open international economic order, with the WTO system at its core.
ASEAN is the “key” to realizing a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Partnership (FOIP)” and is a global growth center. Its role is becoming increasingly important for the peace and prosperity of the entire region.
Japan fully supports the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which ASEAN launched on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN Community. While continuing to respect ASEAN Centrality and unity, Japan will support ASEAN's further efforts for its integration based on this vision.
After more than 50 years of accumulated cooperation, ASEAN-Japan relations have reached a new stage. At the 2023 Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, we jointly issued a vision with the keywords "trust" and "co-creation." Over 80% of the items listed in the implementation plan have been implemented or on-going. Japan is determined to consistently strengthen its relations with ASEAN countries.
Japan will continue to promote multilayered cooperation, including in areas such as Green Transformation (GX) and Digital Transformation (DX). We will also work together to address regional and international issues and global governance to create the future.
In addition, Japan's FOIP and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) share essential principles. We would like to work together to mainstream and implement the AOIP in order to lead the international community from divisions to cooperation.
2. Review of ASEAN-Japan Cooperation and its Future Direction
The ASEAN side expressed high appreciation and gratitude for the steady progress of concrete cooperation in line with the Joint Vision Statement and Implementation Plan set forth at the 2023 Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation. They also expressed high expectations for further strengthening cooperation with Japan, particularly in the economic field, including new areas such as DX and GX, as well as people-to-people exchange, including youth exchange, and security.
Minister Iwaya thanked ASEAN countries for their comments, and explained that broad range of cooperation has been steadily progressing in line with the three pillars of the Joint Vision Statement citing the examples outlined as follows:
(i) “Heart-to-Heart Partners across Generation”
As part of the “Partnership to Co-create a Future with the Next Generation: WA Project 2.0” by the Japan Foundation, more than 577 "NIHONGO (Japanese Language) Partners" are expected to be dispatched by the end of the fiscal year 2025. There is also active exchange of former international students in Japan through the ASEAN Council of Japan Alumni (ASCOJA) as well as student and sports exchanges through JENESYS and youth exchanges through the "Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Programme (SSEAYP)." Networked Exchange, United Strength for Stronger Partnerships between Japan and ASEAN (NEXUS) has also started to promote science and technology cooperation. In addition, a program to accept former Attachment Program participants into master's degree programs in Japan and a program to provide training in Japan for ASEAN Secretariat staff have been initiated with the goal of training young government officials for future leaders.
(ii)“Partners for Co-creation of Economy and Society of the Future”
Regarding GX, Japan would like to promote cooperation through the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC), including in policy coordination, to simultaneously achieve decarbonization, economic growth, and energy security. Japan will promote the development of digital infrastructure through the "ASEAN-Japan Digital Work Plan" and cooperation through the ASEAN-Japan Cyber Security Capacity Building Center (AJCCBC). Japan will support the holding of the “Co-creation Workshop” in Thailand to reflect the views of ASEAN countries in the OECD's “AI Policy Toolkit” and contribute to their policy making. In addition, Japan will contribute to strengthening connectivity in various areas, such as transportation infrastructure, electricity connectivity, which contributes to the ASEAN Power Grid initiative, and human connectivity under the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Connectivity Initiative. We are cooperating closely in disaster management as well, including supporting the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre). Japan will host the 2027 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai and would like to deepen cooperation in this area. Regarding international trade, we must persistently work to maintain and strengthen the rules-based multilateral trade system and to reform the WTO. Additionally, we would like to further discuss strengthening economic partnerships in the region, with economic frameworks that include ASEAN countries, such as the AJCEP, RCEP and CPTPP, in mind.
(iii) “Partners for Peace and Stability”
Japan places great importance on maritime security, combating transnational organized crime including online scam, and cybersecurity. We would like to strengthen cooperation among the relevant authorities in each of these areas. Additionally, we would like to collaborate with ASEAN on regional and international issues. For example, Cambodia is an important partner to address mine action, and we would like to collaborate with ASEAN in a conference on mine action in Ukraine. The Conference on cooperation among East Asian countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) is another example. We look forward to a productive discussion tomorrow at the ministerial meeting about supporting Palestine in the face of the serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
3. Regional and international issues
Regarding regional and international issues, the ASEAN side emphasized the importance of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, peaceful resolution of disputes based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as well as resolution of the abductions issue. The ASEAN side also expressed appreciation to Japan’ support to ASEAN’s efforts to address the situation in Myanmar.
Minister Iwaya explained Japan's position on the situation in Myanmar and the East China Sea and South China Sea, as well as on issues regarding North Korea, including the nuclear and missile issues and the abductions issue.
4. Closing Remarks
Minister Iwaya touched on the following points and stated that Japan would like to collaborate with other countries to strengthen ASEAN-Japan cooperation further as "Trusted Partners."
We confirmed steady progress in ASEAN-Japan cooperation in a wide range of areas. We also had a meaningful exchange of views on regional and international issues.
ASEAN countries showed great interest in cooperating in green and digital fields. The Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan demonstrates the design of a future society utilizing cutting-edge technologies in these fields. We hope you will have a chance to visit the Expo.
Japan has long supported Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN and welcomes ASEAN’s recent decision. Japan will continue to support Timor-Leste in areas such as human resource development.
