1.
APEC Japan 2010 Economic Leaders’ Meeting
2.
Prime Minister Kan’s Visit to the G20 Seoul Summit
3.
The First Meeting of States Parties to the
Convention on Cluster Munitions
4.
The Aichi-Nagoya Ministerial Meeting of the REDD+
Partnership
5.
COP10 to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
6.
ASEAN related Summit Meetings
7.
The PALM Ministerial Interim Meeting
8.
The Eighth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 8)
9.
Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) |
|
JICC
Newsletter
No.1, January 2011 |
8. The Eighth
Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 8)

The Eighth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM
8): Japan Expresses Determination to Exert Leadership for the Growth
of Global Economies
The Eighth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 8) was held in Brussels,
Belgium, on October 4 and 5. Mr. Naoto Kan, Prime Minister of Japan,
attended the meeting. In his remarks at a session on global economic
governance, Prime Minister Kan reiterated that the leaders of both
Asian and European countries must exert leadership and make
concerted efforts for economic growth. He explained that Japan had
been implementing economic policies centered on job creation
measures, and conveyed the intention of Japan to actively utilize
the framework of FTA/EPAs for the promotion of free trade while at
the same time seeking for the early conclusion of the WTO Doha
Development Round negotiations. The Prime Minister indicated his
determination as the chair of this year’s APEC leaders meeting to
make contributions to the growth of global economies through a
growth strategy that APEC would be issuing for the first time. He
also emphasized the need for Asia and Europe to play an active role
in addressing global issues such as climate change. Prime Minister
Kan concluded his intervention by saying that Japan would actively
contribute to the activities of ASEM in areas such as exchanges in
education and culture, through cooperation with the Asia-Europe
Foundation (ASEF) and other means.
In relation to this, Japan extended financial support to the Fourth
Connecting Civil Societies of Asia and Europe Conference, an
official side event of ASEM 8, providing a venue for dialogue
between government officials of ASEM member countries and
representatives of civil society. Through a contribution to ASEF of
approximately 3.7 billion yen, Japan has started a countermeasure
project for new strains of influenza. This project has now
stockpiled 500,000 courses of anti-viral drugs, to be used for the
early containment of outbreaks in Asia. The project has been
implemented steadily, with various meetings convened regularly to
help experts on health and public sanitation in Asia and Europe,
build networks and hold awareness campaigns.
During his stay in Belgium, Prime Minister Kan held meetings with
the leaders of China, the Republic of Korea, Viet Nam, Australia,
the EU, Germany, and France. In his talks with the EU leaders, Prime
Minister Kan stressed his intention to reach consensus on the launch
of negotiations for a Japan-EU EPA at the annual Japan-EU Summit
Meeting next spring. Mr. José Manuel Barroso, President of the
European Commission responded that the EU would make a sincere
response. Prime Minister Kan expressed the same intention at the
Japan-Germany summit meeting, to which Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor
of the Federal Republic of Germany stated that there was growing
momentum for concluding an EPA with Japan. Both sides shared the
view to make efforts for the start of EPA negotiations. Leaders of
Japan and the EU, in their talks in Seoul on November 12, reaffirmed
their intention to make an effort to reach a good conclusion in the
following year’s annual meeting. |