NAYPYITAW, Nov. 12 (PNA/Kyodo) — Japan and 10 Southeast Asian countries agreed Wednesday to widen their cooperation in the security and economic fields toward the establishment of a more integrated community in 2015.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations confirmed their expanded cooperation will cover areas including terrorism and transnational crimes such as money laundering, according to a joint statement released after their summit in Naypyitaw.
Japan and ASEAN recognize that “terrorism and transnational crime pose serious threats to peace, stability and economic prosperity of ASEAN, Japan and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole,” the statement said.
Abe promoted Japan’s commitment to helping Southeast Asian countries reinforce their coast guards amid an increase in piracy cases in the South China Sea, as well as the peaceful settlement of territorial disputes, according to Japanese government officials.
Abe told the ASEAN leaders that Japan plans to help train around 700 people to work for coast guards over the next three years, according to Katsunobu Kato, deputy chief Cabinet secretary of Japan.
Japan and ASEAN agreed to conduct joint drills and enhance information sharing to cope with problems such as drug trafficking, arms smuggling and cybercrime.
ASEAN is aiming for tighter integration next year in the three areas of politics and security, economy, and society and culture.
ASEAN supports Japan’s efforts in “combating terrorism and transnational crime to ensure security during major events including the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo,” according to the statement.
Abe hailed a plan for Japan and ASEAN to hold their first defense ministerial meeting on Nov. 19 in Myanmar. ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
On the economic front Abe welcomed a plan to sign a pact between Japan and ASEAN aimed at improving private aviation services, according to the officials.
On Thursday at an East Asia Summit involving 18 leaders including those from China, Russia and the United States, Abe will press his case about the rule of law in maritime security issues in connection with territorial disputes in the South China Sea involving China and some ASEAN members.
China has been involved in disputes with countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam over the sovereignty of islands in the South China Sea, sometimes leading to ship collisions. China has also been sending its ships to Japanese territorial waters near Japanese-controlled islets in the East China Sea. (PNA/Kyodo)