1. ‘Visible’
Reconstruction
2.
The 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17)
3. Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting
4. Prime Minister Noda Attends
ASEAN-Related Summits
5. Prime Minister
Noda Attends the G20 Cannes Summit
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JICC
Newsletter
No.7, December 2011 |
Prime Minister Noda Attends ASEAN-Related Summits
Actively Undertaking Multilateral and
Bilateral Diplomacy Encompassing a Wide Range of Issues
On 17 to 19 November, ASEAN-related summit meetings were held in
Bali, the Republic of Indonesia, which Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda
attended from Japan. Prime Minister Noda attended the 14th
Japan-ASEAN Summit, the 14th ASEAN+3 Summit (both held on 18) and
the 6th East Asia Summit (EAS) on 19, as well as other meetings such
as the 3rd Japan-Mekong Summit on 18 and the Japan-China-ROK
(Republic of Korea) Summit Meeting on 19. Prime Minister Noda
further conducted bilateral summit meetings with leaders from
Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, and Australia, and also had
conversations with H.E. Mr. Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council
of the People’s Republic of China.
Japan-ASEAN Summit
At the Summit, Prime Minister Noda said Japan would actively support
ASEAN in building an ASEAN community in 2015. At the same time, he
explained that Japan considered the enhancement of connectivity led
by ASEAN as a significant issue and that Japan was addressing it at
the ministerial level as a priority issue. In this connection, Prime
Minister Noda assured that Japan would extend assistance focusing on
improvement of “Formation of the Vital Artery for East-West and
Southern Economic Corridor” and “Maritime Economic Corridor,” as
well as projects of software infrastructure throughout the ASEAN
region as its pillars. Moreover, he proposed a “List of flagship
projects for enhancing ASEAN Connectivity” comprising major projects
conducive to enhancing connectivity, accordingly pointing to the
need for financial arrangement for the implementation of the
projects through such means as ODA and the Japan Bank for
International Cooperation (JBIC) as well as a sort of mechanism to
mobilize private-sector funds and coordination with Asian
Development Bank. Prime Minister Noda went on to say Japan would
provide assistance to Myanmar in executing comprehensive development
survey involving such matters as the development of special economic
zones at the request of the Government of Republic of the Union of
Myanmar based on the recent positive trends in Myanmar. With regard
to the area of disaster management, Prime Minister Noda said that as
a means to strengthen its cooperation, Japan would support the ASEAN
Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster
Management (AHA Center) develop as a regional hub of disaster
management. At the same time, he said Japan would launch efforts to
implement a “Disaster Management Network for ASEAN Region.” Also, he
referred to other relevant efforts, such as hosting an international
high-level conference for the purpose of sharing experiences in and
lessons-learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Furthermore,
Prime Minister Noda suggested cooperation in holding the ASEAN
Regional Forum (ARF) Disaster Relief Exercise on a regular basis.
Prime Minister Noda touched on youth exchange as well, explaining
that Japan was considering the possibility of realizing exchanges
among about 3,000 young people in Japan and ASEAN during the period
to the end of March2013.
At the conclusion of the Summit, H.E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
President of the Republic of Indonesia, who chaired the meeting,
declared a new joint declaration and plan of action adopted, the
first actions of the kind in eight years since the Tokyo Declaration
and the ASEAN-Japan Plan of Action were adopted in 2003. In this
connection, Prime Minister Noda proposed that the new declaration
should be named the “Bali Declaration” after the Indonesian island
where the Summit was held and received endorsement from those
present. He said Japan would continue to strive to bolster
Japan-ASEAN cooperation in accordance with the principles
incorporated into the Bali Declaration and the Japan-ASEAN Plan of
Action and asked for cooperation from the ASEAN leaders.
East Asia Summit (EAS)
Prime Minister Noda, welcoming the first participation in the EAS of
the United States and the Russian Federation, stated that he wants
to develop the EAS into a leaders-led forum that confirms common
ideas and fundamental rules of the region through enhancing
political and security initiatives in addition to practical
cooperation promoted so far, thus connecting its outcome to tangible
cooperation. He also made a point that the ocean is public goods
connecting the Asia-Pacific region and expressed Japan’s
understanding that the participating countries shared the importance
of fundamental rules pertaining to the ocean such as peaceful
dispute settlement, freedom of navigation and compliance with
international law, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the
Sea. In this connection, Prime Minister Noda underlined the
importance of having a forum where government officials and
private-sector intellectuals could have a wide-ranging and free
exchange of views on ways of cooperation in the ocean. As for
sharing democratic values, Prime Minister Noda said it was
significant to make full use of the Bali Democracy Forum in order to
do so, and in this respect he noted with appreciation a wave of
positive moves under way in Myanmar towards democratization and
national reconciliation, and hoped that the country would further
promote its dialogue with the international community. He added it
was important for the international community to support the
initiatives taken by Myanmar. Also, concerning low-carbon growth,
Prime Minister Noda expressed his wish to forge a low-carbon growth
model through promotion of Japan’s initiative on the “East-Asia Low
Carbon Growth Partnership” and called on other countries to support
a plan for Japan to host a dialogue meeting under the initiative in
Tokyo in April 2012. Finally, Prime Minister Noda stressed the
importance of enhancing connectivity in the entire East Asian
region, including non-ASEAN member countries, and said efforts to
that end should be promoted by making use of the Master Plan on
ASEAN Connectivity.
This EAS brought about substantial results particularly by
confirming common ideas and fundamental rules of the region through
enhancement of its political and security initiatives, and as an
outcome, the EAS Leaders released the “Declaration of the EAS Summit
on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations” and the
“Declaration of the Sixth East Asia Summit on ASEAN Connectivity” at
the end of the Summit. In particular, the former reaffirmed in its
preamble the Leaders’ commitment to recognized principles of
international law, recognizing that the international law of the sea
contains crucial norms contributing to the maintenance of peace and
security in the region and that respect for international law and
settlement of differences and disputes by peaceful means were
included in the principles to guide the EAS participating countries.
In addition, the chairman’s statement included its positive note of
holding of a forum which Japan proposed to exchange views on ways of
cooperation in the ocean.
Strengthening Economic Partnership
Prime Minister Noda stressed there are various ways towards the
realization of a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP). In the
meetings, he insisted that Japan will take the lead and actively
contribute to making a framework of economic partnership based on
ASEAN+3 and ASEAN+6 in addition to TPP and gained broad support from
many participating countries. In particular, regarding East Asia
Free Trade Area (EAFTA) and Comprehensive Economic Partnership in
East Asia (CEPEA), Working Groups would be set up among the ASEAN
countries and the relevant countries based on the joint proposal of
Japan and China. Also, concerning a Japan-China-Korea FTA, the three
leaders agreed to conclude the joint study within the year. As for
Japan-Australia EPA, the Leaders decided to hold the next round of
negotiations in December at the bilateral summit meeting. |