Signing Ceremony for the Establishment of the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF)

March 27, 2006

On March 27, 2006, the signing ceremony to establish the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) was held in Tokyo at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. H.E. Mr. Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and H.E. Datuk Marzuki Mohammad Noor, Ambassador of Malaysia to Japan, as the representative of all 10 ASEAN countries, signed the documents to establish the new fund, to which Japan pledged to contribute 7.5 billion yen (approximately 70 million US Dollars). Ambassadors and representatives from other ASEAN member countries were also present at the ceremony.

ASEAN countries set the year 2020 as the target for the realization of the ASEAN Community and are exerting its efforts for the internal integration. ASEAN has also become the "driver" of the East Asia cooperation. The flourished and unified ASEAN is beneficial not only for ASEAN but for the entire region. With this as a background, H.E. Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan, announced on December 13, 2005, that Japan would provide financial assistance in the amount of 7.5 billion yen to support the integration of ASEAN through the ASEAN-Japan cooperation funds. Since then, Japan and ASEAN have been working towards the establishment of a new fund by enacting necessary rules and procedures.

Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) is expected to strengthen ASEAN-Japan relations by implementing various projects such as stockpile of half a million courses of tamiflu in the area of avian influenza, projects in the areas of counter-terrorism, economic integration, youth exchanges, and others.

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