Press Releases
Courtesy Call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister MATSUMOTO by participants of ASEAN Human Educational Development Scholarship Partners (AHEAD50)
On June 20, Mr. MATSUMOTO Hisashi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, received a courtesy call by a delegation of the ASEAN Secretariat officials, under the ASEAN Human Educational Development Scholarship Partners Program “AHEAD50”. A summary of the courtesy call is as follows. This program was launched on the occasion of the 50th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
- Parliamentary Vice-Minister Matsumoto stated that peace and prosperity of ASEAN, which is the “keystone” of the Indo-Pacific, are important for the region and the international community as a whole, and Japan has been closely cooperating with ASEAN in a wide-range of fields, as a true friend of ‘‘heart-to-heart’’ connections.
- Parliamentary Vice-Minister Matsumoto also stated that Japan and ASEAN are facing various common challenges such as disaster prevention, climate change, and strengthening supply chains, and that Japan intends to work together with ASEAN to address these challenges and build a new future for Asia. And he expressed his hope that through “AHEAD 50,” a network of “heart-to-heart” connections between ASEAN and Japan will be formed and to develop together as true friends over the next 30 years, 50 years,100 years ahead.
- The delegation expressed their gratitude for Japan's long-standing support for the ASEAN's development and shared their experiences and impressions of Japan.
(Reference)ASEAN Human Educational Development Scholarship Partners Program （AHEAD50）
An invitation program launched on the occasion of the 50th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation. The purpose of this program is to provide promising staff of the ASEAN Secretariat and other organizations with an opportunity to learn about Japan's policies, systems, and positions, thereby strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat through human resource development and enhancing smooth cooperation with Japan.