Japan-ASEAN Relations

On June 26, commencing at 10:20 a.m. for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a meeting with H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN, at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

1. Minister Kono explained Japan's position on enhancing the relationship with ASEAN towards the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers' Meetings to be held in July and the ASEAN-related Summit Meetings to be held in November in 2018. In this context, Minister Kono noted that this year marks the 45th Anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, and introduced the ASEAN-Japan Music Festival to be held in Japan in October. Furthermore, Minister Kono stated that Japan would like to further cooperate with ASEAN under the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy".
2. Secretary General Dato Lim welcomed the 45th Anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation and expressed his appreciation to Japan's contribution to ASEAN so far including through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund(JAIF). In addition, Secretary General Dato Lim stated that he would like to further strengthen the relationship with Japan.
3. Both sides exchanged views on regional situations including North Korea, South China Sea and the situation in Rakhine State in Myanmar. They also confirmed that Japan and ASEAN would continue to cooperate towards conclusion of the negotiation on Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by the end of this year.