Press Releases
Meeting between Foreign Minister HAYASHI and the next Secretary-General of ASEAN
December 6, 2022
On December 6, commencing at 11:00 a.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Minister attached to the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the next Secretary-General of ASEAN. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- Introduction
Minister Hayashi expressed his respect for Cambodia's efforts in successfully hosting the ASEAN-related Summits in November in person for the first time in three years. He also expressed his expectation for the leadership of Minister Kao Kim Hourn, who would assume the office of the Secretary-General of ASEAN in 2023. - Cooperation between ASEAN and Japan
- (1) Minister Hayashi stated that Japan supports the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and would continue to contribute to ASEAN countries’ economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. He also stated that Japan would continue to support the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED) as the flagship project of ASEAN-Japan cooperation in order to strengthen prevention, preparedness, and response to future public health crises.
- (2) Minister Hayashi also reaffirmed Japan’s consistent support for ASEAN centrality and unity, and stressed that Japan was among the first to express support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), and had been steadily implementing concrete cooperation based on the Joint Statement of the 23rd ASEAN-Japan Summit which confirmed that the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) and the AOIP share fundamental principles. Furthermore, Minister Hayashi indicated Japan’s readiness to work hand in hand with ASEAN on regional and international challenges.
- (3) In response, Minister Kao Kim Hourn expressed his appreciation for Japan’s efforts in line with the AOIP, stating that ASEAN supports the FOIP and that the AOIP and the FOIP are on the same page. Minister Kao Kim Hourn also expressed his expectation for Japan’s continued cooperation to address regional challenges.
- The 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation
Minister Hayashi reiterated Japan’s intention to develop a new vision for the friendship and cooperative relationship between ASEAN and Japan in preparation for the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit in December next year.
In response, Minister Kao Kim Hourn stated that he places importance on the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation next year, and the two Ministers concurred that they would work closely with each other in order to further strengthen ASEAN-Japan relations on the occasion of the 50th Year.