Japan is one of ASEAN’s longstanding and most steadfast partners, and the establishment of the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in September 2023 was a natural progression in dialogue relations.
The culmination of very close cooperation for five decades has allowed ASEAN and Japan to foster deep mutual trust and great respect for each other while working together across all ASEAN community pillars, jointly seizing opportunities and tackling challenges throughout the years.
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam said this during the commemorative summit for the 50th year of ASEAN-Japan friendship and cooperation with heads of state and government of ASEAN, Japan and Timor-Leste at Hotel Okura Tokyo in Japan yesterday.
His Majesty was welcomed on arrival by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Accompanying the monarch was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen.
His Majesty first attended the opening and plenary session of summit at Heian-no ma I.
It opened with speeches from the Japanese prime minister, Indonesian President Joko Widodo as Chairman of ASEAN this year, President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) Professor Tetsuya Watanabe and Secretary-General of ASEAN-Japan Centre Dr Kunihiko Hirayabashi.
The monarch in a titah at the plenary session said ASEAN and Japan share many common economic, social and cultural interests, as well as ensuring regional peace and stability in an open and inclusive regional framework. Thus, adopting the new joint vision statement and its implementation plan will further strengthen the ASEAN-Japan partnership into the future.
His Majesty believes that it is even more relevant, given the ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, and therefore it is very crucial to continue strengthening the fundamental principles of regionalism and multilateralism in ASEAN and Japan’s relationship.
ASEAN and Japan still have immense potential to cooperate in promoting peace and stability for continued prosperity and development. ASEAN and Japan – as members of the international community – must continue to be principled based on the United Nations (UN) Charter and the rules of international law.
The monarch highlighted that such efforts will reinforce the relevance and universality of the UN, ensuring no exceptions, particularly in working towards reforming the UN Security Council.
His Majesty also attended a working lunch where the monarch said ASEAN and Japan’s partnership over the years has played a key role in nurturing mutual trust and friendships among its peoples, through initiatives such as the Friendship Programme for the 21st Century; Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program (SSEAYP); Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS); and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) scholarships, which have successfully laid a solid foundation for people-to-people relations. The monarch also welcomed the Japanese prime minister’s announcement of the WA Project 2.0, towards building on and further strengthening connections.
In addition, these initiatives have also enabled ASEAN and Japan to harness opportunities for development and prosperity, and are valuable investments to ensure that the close ties and strong partnership will be sustained beyond 50 years.
His Majesty recognises that Brunei also believes in the importance of providing opportunities to young leaders who share common values and goals to be able to establish friendships and network together.
As such, the monarch said, the ASEAN Junior Fellowship Programme was initiated, to foster and enhance the togetherness among young officers in ASEAN as well as the important cooperation with dialogue partners. In this regard, the monarch welcomed Japan’s support in this programme, adding that all initiatives that involve youth and junior officials as future leaders will contribute towards further strengthening ASEAN and Japan’s “heart-to-heart partnership”, ensuring a harmonious and prosperous future together.
In the second plenary session, the monarch in his titah highlighted that the Asia-Pacific region is projected to continue being a centre for economic growth in the coming years amidst global uncertainties, with expected growth of 4.2 per cent in 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
However, the growth may be at risk if there is failure to address urgent challenges together. One of the pressing challenges is the increasing impact of climate change, as there are more frequent and intense weather events, such as extreme temperatures, destructive storms, flooding, and prolonged drought.
His Majesty said the recent Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP) in Dubai reached consensus on measures, especially to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Therefore, the monarch said, ASEAN and Japan must collaborate on developing concrete and innovative measures that focus on mitigating and adapting to changing climate patterns.
The monarch welcomed Japan’s expertise in formulating policies, sharing technology, and its initiative to establish the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) while expressing confidence that ASEAN can benefit significantly from these efforts, especially by working through the ASEAN Centre for Climate Change.
At the end of the summit, a joint vision statement on ASEAN-Japan friendship and cooperation and the implementation plan of the joint vision statement on ASEAN-Japan friendship and cooperation were adopted.
The monarch, along with heads of state and government of ASEAN and Timor-Leste, attended a dinner hosted by the Japanese prime minister and spouse Yuko Kishida in Geihinkan, Tokyo on Saturday.
His Majesty was welcomed by the prime minister and spouse on arrival at the dinner held on the occasion of the summit.
The dinner began with opening remarks by the prime minister.
Yesterday afternoon, the monarch left the Japanese capital to mark the conclusion of the official visit to Japan and summit.
State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned recited a Doa Selamat prior to the departure.
Minister of Foreign Affairs II Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd Yusof, Brunei Darussalam Ambassador to Japan Haji Shahbudin bin Haji Musa and Japanese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Maeda Toru were present at Tokyo Haneda International Airport to bid farewell.
