Japan takes a soft diplomatic approach to ASEAN ties

August 10, 2024

1–2 minutes

My op-ed with The Japan Times on Japan’s diplomatic approach to ASEAN.

Japan takes a soft diplomatic approach to ASEAN ties Download

To maintain and strengthen its relations with Southeast Asia, Japan must show that its engagement with ASEAN is not solely aimed at countering China. Tokyo needs to demonstrate that it values ASEAN and Southeast Asia for their shared interests, respect for their institutions and focus on issues that matter most to the region. These include strategic autonomy, economic and social development, climate change and nontraditional security challenges such as transnational crime, diseases, human trafficking, piracy and illegal fishing.

Japan’s soft approach to ASEAN is not perfect, guaranteed or adequately resourced. Japan needs to invest more in cultivating specialists who understand the diversity and significance of Southeast Asia. At the same time, increasing the number of Southeast Asian students and professionals studying and working in Japan can help build a network of Southeast Asian individuals with strong ties to Japan. These individuals could serve as bridges for diplomacy, business and mutual understanding of the importance of an international order based on the rule of law rather than power.

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My Audio Playlist on Japan and the Indo-Pacific

My Audio Playlist on ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific

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Competing Minilateral Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific

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One response to “Japan takes a soft diplomatic approach to ASEAN ties”

Asymmetric Interdependence and the Selective Diversification of Supply Chains

October 23, 2024 at 11:02 pm

[…] further support these arguments, this paper analyzes Japan’s trade and investments with China and ASEAN at three critical junctures. As a leading investor in both China and ASEAN, especially in the […]

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Written by

Stephen R. Nagy

Stephen is a Professor at the Department of Politics and International Studies at the International Christian University. He is a Senior Fellow at the MacDonald Laurier Institute (MLI), a Research Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI); a Visiting Fellow at the Japan Institute for International Affairs (JIIA); a Research Associate at the Institute for Security and Development and Policy (ISDP); a Senior Fellow for the East Asia Security Centre (EASC); and a Research Committee member for the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS). He was selected as a Distinguished Fellow for the Asia Pacific Foundation from 2017-2020. He serves as the Director of Policy Studies for the Yokosuka Council of Asia Pacific Studies (YCAPS) spear heading their Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue Series and as a Governor for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan (CCCJ).