Database
on Basic Documents of Japan-ASEAN Relations
Department of
Advanced Social and International Studies,
WE, the Heads of
State/Government of Member Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN), and Japan, gathered in Tokyo, Japan on 11 and 12 December
2003, for the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit, note with deep satisfaction
that our countries have fostered a close and cooperative relationship over the
last thirty years, contributing to peace, stability, development and prosperity
of the region;
INSPIRED by the
significant progress made in the ASEAN-Japan relations, encompassing the
political and security, economic, social and cultural, and development
cooperation areas;
REAFFIRMING the
principles which have guided our relations, which include partnership, shared
ownership, mutual respect and benefits;
APPRECIATING the
significant contribution of Japan to the economic development and prosperity of
ASEAN Member Countries in the past three decades, in particular, Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) to
ASEAN, which represented around 30% of Japan’s total bilateral ODA in the past ten years and constituted the
largest part of its ODA, reflecting the special importance that Japan has been
attaching to ASEAN;
ACKNOWLEDGING the
importance of the rich Asian traditions and values that will serve as the
rallying point for our determined efforts to tap the opportunities and meet the
challenges of the new millennium;
CONVINCED that the
“heart-to-heart” understanding, nurtured among peoples of Southeast Asian countries
and Japan and based on mutual trust and respect, has developed into the “acting together, advancing together” partnership which is the foundation for our
future relations;
DETERMINED to
continue the deepening and broadening of cooperation within ASEAN-Japan
strategic partnership to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region;
RECALLING the
Joint Statement of the Meeting of the ASEAN Heads of State/Government and the
Prime Minister of Japan, Kuala Lumpur, 7 August 1977, and the Joint Statement
of the Meeting of the Heads of State/Government of the Member States of ASEAN
and the Prime Minister of Japan, Kuala Lumpur, 16 December 1997, which laid the groundwork for a
comprehensive ASEAN-Japan cooperation and strengthened the resolve to further
advance this partnership in the 21st Century;
CONSIDERING the
Joint Declaration of the Leaders of ASEAN and Japan on the Comprehensive
Economic Partnership signed in Phnom Penh on 5 November 2002 and the Framework
for Comprehensive Economic Partnership between ASEAN and Japan signed in Bali
on 8 October 2003 to minimise barriers and deepen
economic linkages, lower business costs, increase intra-regional trade and
investment, improve economic efficiency, create a larger market with greater
opportunities and larger economies of scale for the businesses of both ASEAN
and Japan, and enhance our attractiveness to capital and talent;
TAKING NOTE of the
Final Report with Recommendations towards Vision 2020: ASEAN-Japan Consultation
Conference on the Ha Noi Plan of Action of October
2002 to facilitate the realisation of the ASEAN
Vision 2020 and to promote dynamic and deeper ASEAN-Japan cooperation;
REITERATING full
support for the implementation of the Declaration of ASEAN Concord II signed in
Bali on 7 October 2003 leading to the formation of a more integrated ASEAN
Community comprising the ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and
ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community;
WELCOMING the
Declaration on Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast
Asia by Japan, and the accession by other Dialogue Partners of ASEAN, which
will further strengthen trust, peace, and stability in Southeast Asia;
REAFFIRMING that
the ASEAN-Japan relationship is forward-looking and action-oriented in respect
of advancing, intensifying and deepening the partnership and linkages with
Dialogue Partners and the rest of the world for the common good of all;
HEREBY adopt the
following:
1. Fundamental Principles and Values
• ASEAN
and Japan will further deepen and broaden their relationship, natural economic
complementarities, social and cultural affinities, including the desire for
closer people-to-people contacts and exchanges;
• ASEAN
and Japan will enhance their cooperation through closer consultation and
adherence to the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and
international law, and commend the purposes, principles and spirit of the
Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, including respect for
national sovereignty and territorial integrity, renunciation of threat or use
of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, and non-interference;
• ASEAN
and Japan will contribute to the creation of an East Asia region where
countries and peoples can live in peace with one another and with the world at
large in a just, democratic and harmonious environment;
• ASEAN
and Japan will forge common visions and principles, including respect for the
rule of law and justice, pursuit of openness, promotion and protection of human
rights and fundamental freedoms of all peoples in accordance with the Charter
of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the
Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, promotion
of mutual understanding for cultures and civilisations,
and enhancement of mutual benefits of market economy;
• Japan,
through its development assistance and support programmes,
will give high priority to ASEAN’s economic development and integration efforts as it strives to realise the ASEAN Community;
• ASEAN
and Japan will collectively promote the development of regional and
trans-regional frameworks, particularly the ASEAN Plus Three process, ASEAN
Regional Forum (ARF), Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the Forum for East Asia-Latin
America Cooperation (FEALAC) and
sub-regional cooperation schemes in the Southeast Asian region; and
• ASEAN
and Japan will address regional and global issues, keeping in mind their
special relationship based on equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit.
2. Common Strategies for Action
ASEAN and
(1) Reinforcing
Comprehensive Economic Partnership and Monetary and Financial Cooperation
•
Reinforce their economic partnership, by strengthening economic linkages and
integration under the Joint Declaration of the Leaders of ASEAN and Japan on
the Comprehensive Economic Partnership, noting the principle of reciprocity, transparency and mutual benefits;
•
Undertake bilateral and regional initiatives under which any ASEAN Member
Country and Japan can build a bilateral economic partnership while seeking to realise a Comprehensive Economic Partnership through the
measures outlined in the Framework for Comprehensive Economic Partnership to be
implemented by 2012, allowing special and differential treatment to the ASEAN
Member Countries and taking into account the economic level and sensitive
sectors in each ASEAN Member Country and Japan, including the extension of
additional five years for completion by the new ASEAN Member Countries;
•
Promote more opportunities for trade in goods and services such as through opening
and enlarging markets, progressively eliminating non-tariff barriers including
technical barriers to trade,
enabling economies of scale for industries, and
enhancing cooperation in standards and conformance and mutual recognition arrangements;
• Create
a transparent and liberal investment regime through the enhancement of
trade-related investment procedures and trade and investment promotion and
facilitation measures, conduct of trade and investment policy and business
dialogues, improvement of the business environment,
facilitation of mobility of business people and skilled labour,
cooperation in standards and conformance, and other measures to enhance
economic linkages;
• Foster
and strengthen financial and monetary cooperation such as capital market
development, capital account liberalisation, and
currency cooperation;
• Forge
cooperation in wide-ranging areas of mutual benefit, particularly in science
and technology, including research and development, industrial and tourism
sectors and the transport sector, including ensuring safe and efficient
transport networks;
•
Cooperate in expanding and deepening information and communications networks
and flows in Asia through realising mutually
beneficial information and communications technology cooperation programmes; and
• Work
together on programmes for enhancing the capacity of
small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in ASEAN to capitalise on the market access for trade in goods,
services and investment and to expand business opportunities of SMEs.
(2) Consolidating the Foundation for
Economic Development and Prosperity
• Work
together to consolidate the foundation for economic development and prosperity.
•
Strengthen cooperation and support the realisation of
ASEAN integration goals by implementing projects, particularly those under the
Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI);
•
Strengthen efforts to support ASEAN’s integration by enhancing regional and sub-regional development
including in the Mekong region and Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East
ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) to promote economic and social development, sharpen the competitive edge of ASEAN and improve standards
of living;
•
Enhance support and cooperation in developing the Mekong region to narrow the
gaps between the new Member Countries and the other Member Countries of ASEAN
based on the common view that development will contribute to reinforcing
regional integration, and lead to self-sustaining
economic growth through the integrated approach of economic cooperation and
promotion of trade and investment with due consideration to environmental
conservation;
•
Continue expanding and deepening cooperation in capacity building, particularly
in human resource development, developing and strengthening ASEAN institutions,
enhancing public health and social security, and imparting skills and
management know-how;
•
Promote infrastructure development, and strengthen industrial bases and
the transfer of expertise and
technologies;
•
Promote joint efforts for research and development, develop modalities for
sharing advanced research and
promote intellectual exchanges, to strengthen the economic partnership
and cooperation in technology development; and
•
Enhance cooperation in energy security, food security and food safety.
(3) Strengthening Political and Security
Cooperation and Partnership
•
Enhance political and security cooperation and partnership at all levels in
order to consolidate peace in the region, and work
together towards peaceful settlement of disputes in the region bilaterally and
through the ARF and other regional and international fora;
•
Enhance cooperation in the areas of counter-terrorism, anti-piracy and in
combating other transnational crimes through the ARF, ASEAN Plus Three process,
ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime Plus
Three as well as other regional and international fora;
and
•
Enhance cooperation in the areas of disarmament and non-proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, and related materials.
(4) Facilitating
and Promoting Exchange of People and Human Resource Development
• Foster
a sense of togetherness based on mutual trust, respect and understanding of
each other’s traditions and values among the younger
generation and future leaders thereby creating caring societies where
people-to-people contact will flourish and human capital can be further
developed; and
•
Support the aspirations and cooperative spirit of youths by reinforcing
partnerships and mutual assistance in education and human resource development,
through networking among research institutes, universities and other
educational institutions and by promoting youth
exchanges to enhance people-to-people interactions.
(5) Enhancing
Cooperation in Culture and Public Relations
•
Cooperate in identifying and preserving cultural heritage, both tangible and
intangible, and in transmitting the cultural values and norms and the rich
heritage to their future generations, to instil pride
in East Asia; and
•
Promote awareness and understanding of ASEAN and Japan and their standing in
the international community through cooperation among public information agencies,
media and others, and through harnessing greater use
of information and communications technology in disseminating information about
ASEAN and
(6) Deepening
• Recognise that the ASEAN Plus Three process as an important
channel to promote cooperation and regional economic integration networks in
East Asia to attain the goals of sustainable development and common prosperity;
and
• Seek
to build an East Asian community which is outward looking, endowed with the
exuberance of creativity and vitality and with the shared spirit of mutual
understanding and upholding Asian traditions and values, while
respecting universal rules and principles.
(7) Cooperation in Addressing Global Issues
•
Cooperate actively, in addressing global issues, such as the fight against
terrorism, intensifying disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and their means of delivery, enhancing cooperation in United
Nations peace-keeping operations, promoting rule-based international
frameworks, strengthening the United Nations, reinforcing the multilateral
trading system through the World Trade Organisation
(WTO), alleviating poverty and narrowing economic disparity, protecting the
environment, promoting disaster reductions, combating people smuggling and
trafficking in persons, combating infectious diseases, enhancing human security
and promoting South-South cooperation, taking into account the strong
interconnections among political, economic and social realities and accepting
the concept of comprehensive security as having broad political, economic,
social and cultural aspects.
3. Institutional
and Funding Arrangements for the Implementation of the Declaration
• ASEAN
and Japan will implement concrete activities and flagship projects in realising the purposes of this Declaration based on the
attached Plan of Action;
• ASEAN
and Japan will strengthen the existing funding mechanisms for effective
coordination and implementation of this Declaration and the Plan of Action;
• ASEAN
and Japan are committed to providing requisite resources in accordance with
their respective capacity including mutually exploring effective and innovative
resource mobilisation to accomplish the various
strategies and measures outlined in the Plan of Action;
• The
progress made in the implementation of the Declaration and the Plan of Action
will be reviewed by the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and Japan and
reported to the annual ASEAN-Japan Summit; and
• The
Plan of Action will be reviewed periodically taking into consideration the
dynamic developments in the region and in the world.
SIGNED
in
For
HAJI HASSAN ALBOLKIAH
Sultan of
For the
HUN SEN
Prime Minister
For the
MEGAWATI
SOEKARNOPUTRI
President
For the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
BOUNNHANG
VORACHITH
Prime Minister
For
ABDULLAH AHMAD
BADAWI
Prime Minister
For the Union of
GENERAL KHIN NYUNT
Prime Minister
For the Republic
of the
GLORIA
MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
President
For the
GOH CHOK TONG
Prime Minister
For the
DR. THAKSIN
SHINAWATRA
Prime Minister
For the
PHAN VAN KHAI
Prime Minister
For
JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI
Prime Minister