Outline of "ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year 2003"

1. Background and rationales

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi proposed to designate the year 2003 as "ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year" during his visit to Southeast Asian countries last January. This proposal was intended to put into action several recommendations of the final report of "Vision 2020: ASEAN-Japan Consultation Conference on the Hanoi Plan of Action." On this score, the proposal is not simply Japan's initiative, but is an ASEAN-Japan initiative.

Exchange programmes and activities would not only contribute to deepening mutual understanding between ASEAN and Japan, but would also bring about substantive benefits for ASEAN and Japan as they should galvanise their economies, which have been suffering since the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and 1998. For these reasons, the exchange programmes should include not only artistic performances and exhibitions, but also sending trade and investment missions, activating tourism, providing opportunities for experts to assemble and discuss the need for creating a number of new institutions in various economic, political and social fields.

2. Exchange Programmes and Activities

(1) A variety of exchange programmes and activities will be organised and conducted at various levels, and in a wide range of areas and circles, such as politics, industries, education, science and technology, and culture.

(2) Exchange programmes and activities will be planned, organised and put into action in Japan, in each individual country of ASEAN and/or by ASEAN as a group, and in good co-operation at either bilateral, plurilateral or regional level.

(3) The following are examples of illustrative forms of exchange activities, which would serve to build a Japan-ASEAN partnership, "acting together and advancing together."

• dialogues, consultations or collaborations among industrialists, intellectuals, professionals or experts, intended to find paths to strengthen Japan- ASEAN ties in the new age;
• exchanges of professors and teachers or young people, expected to serve for the co-operation in human resource developments;
• cultural and artistic exchange activities, which will promote mutual understanding.

(4) Active participation of the private sector, local governments, and the ASEAN-Japan Centre and their full involvement in such activities will be indispensable. Various personal exchange programmes, research collaborations and cultural exchanges activities to be conducted in the private sector and by local governments will be promoted and incorporated so that they will form part of the whole ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year activities.

3. Modalities of Operating the Exchange Year Programmes

(1) To conduct exchange activities through the year 2003 with the participation of all the countries, Japan and ten ASEAN members, each of the ten ASEAN countries and Japan is designated as a key co-ordinator in each month of 2003. The role of the key co-ordinator country is to plan and organise a series of exchange activities in its country, inviting the participation of the other countries. The other countries should actively co-operate in such exchange activities organised under the leadership of the key co-ordinator country in a particular month in, for instance, sending business people, intellectuals, experts, artists, etc., or involving its Chamber of Commerce in such exchanges. Certainly, this does not in any way exclude cases where any such activities could also be conducted in the countries other than the key co-ordinator country of the month. The following are key co-ordinator countries in each month of 2003.

(2) In proceeding the works of the Exchange Year, each country has designated a contact points for sharing information among Japan and ASEAN countries.

(3) The leaders formally declared the initiative of the Exchange Year 2003 at the ASEAN+Japan Summit Meeting in Phnom Penh on November 5.

(4) Apart from the month in which any key co-ordinator country bears its responsibility, December, when the Japan-ASEAN Commemorative Summit Meeting is to be held in Japan, is designated as the "Month for Joint ASEAN Activities in Japan"