In December 2023, the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation was held in Tokyo. The Joint Vision Statement on ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation and its Implementation Plan were adopted as its outcome documents.
Leaders pose for a commemorative photo at the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
To mark the 50th anniversary of friendly and cooperative relations between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation was held in Tokyo on December 17, 2023. Several related events took place during the three days around the Summit, including bilateral summit meetings with the leaders of countries participating in the commemorative summit, the Commemorative Ceremony for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, and the first Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Leaders Meeting.
Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio attending the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio announced three concrete measures for peace and prosperity through co-creation based on trust to take the ASEAN-Japan relations to new heights for the next 50 years under the three pillars mentioned above. First, to pass on the “heart-to-heart” relationship to the next generation, a new project called “Partnership to Co-create a Future with the Next Generation: WA Project 2.0” will be launched. The project will consist of a series of comprehensive people-to-people exchange programs that will benefit more than 10 million people over the next decade. Further opportunities will also be presented for networking among members of the younger generation through the establishment of the Young/Generation Z Business Leaders’ Community for talent exchange and ecosystem collaboration among startups.
In terms of the co-creation of the economy and society of the future, efforts will be made toward enhancing public-private partnerships with a focus on the strengthening of connectivity, climate change measures (including realization of the AZEC concept), and support for small and medium-sized enterprises and startups. Also announced at the summit was the launch of the “ASEAN-Japan Co-Creation Initiative for the Next-Generation Automotive Industry,” set up to jointly formulate and implement strategies for ASEAN to continue to be the world’s leading automotive production and export hub.
Tokyo Tower was lit up in ASEAN colors to commemorate the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation. SANKEI
As partners for peace and stability, Japan and ASEAN also aim to jointly create peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and a world in which human dignity is protected. Specifically, they will take such actions as support for the development of human resources in cybersecurity at the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre and humanitarian assistance for the people of Myanmar through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management.
Japan and ASEAN can discuss co-creation of the future based on the friendship and cooperation that has been nurtured between them for half a century. In the words of the catchphrase for the 50th anniversary of friendship and cooperation, the three days of the Summit truly were “Golden Opportunities” to pass on “Golden Friendship” to the next generation.
A banquet was hosted by Prime Minister Kishida and Mrs. KISHIDA Yuko on the first day of the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
