ASEAN-JAPAN Relations In The Evolving World Order
ISEAS – SPF JOINT HYBRID SEMINAR
About the Seminar
As one of ASEAN’s oldest dialogue partners, Japan started engaging with ASEAN in 1973 and has since developed friendship relations based on the “heart-to-heart partnership” as constructed in the Fukuda Doctrine in 1977. The past five decades saw significant and important business and trade links between Southeast Asia and Japan. According to The State of Southeast Asia Survey, Japan is viewed favourably as a reliable partner that ASEAN would choose to hedge with to provide a counter-balance to the evolving geopolitical environment. Both ASEAN member states and Japan are faced with the urgent need to further promote international cooperation for the next 50 years to deal with common global challenges such as the destabilisation of the international order, economic and military competition in Asia, climate change and natural disasters, as well as socio-economic disparities and social justice.
This seminar will discuss ASEAN-Japan relations in the past five decades taking into account the findings of the ISEAS’ State of Southeast Asia 2023 survey; and a comparative study on ASEAN-Japan relations supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in 2022-2023 that gauges the views of the opinion leaders in the Philippines and Indonesia on economic and security influence from the US, China, and Japan. The speakers will look at Japan’s economic and security influence in the region and how it is perceived as a third party in hedging against the uncertainties of the US-China strategic rivalry, and a reliable donor and partner of ASEAN. The seminar aims to contribute to a stronger and more dynamic partnership in the region to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation in 2023.
The seminar will be moderated by Ms Sharon Seah, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Centre. Mr Choi Shing Kwok, CEO and Director of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute will deliver a welcome address, and Prof Atsushi Sunami, President of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation will deliver opening remarks at the seminar.
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About the Speakers
Ms Joanne Lin is the Co-coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. She has over 15 years of work experience in the Singapore public sector, regional and international organisations, think tanks, and NGOs. She has previously served at the ASEAN Secretariat from 2015 to 2021 and was the Assistant Director and Head of the External Relations Division under the ASEAN Political-Security Community Department. Her research includes ASEAN institutions and external relations as well as political-security developments in ASEAN.
Dr Saya Kiba is Associate Professor at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies and a member of the Expert Panel for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her major fields of interest are Southeast Asian studies, civil-military relations, and security sector governance. She has experience as a practitioner, working in the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines and Embassy of Japan in Thailand. She also served as a staff to Diet member/ former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara from 2010 to 2012 when his Democratic Party of Japan was the ruling party. Her recent works include a co-edited book, Pathways for Irregular Forces in Southeast Asia: Mitigating Violence with Non-state Armed Groups (Routledge, 2022).
Dr Leslie V. Advincula-Lopez is the Director of the Development Studies Program at Ateneo de Manila University. She completed her Ph.D. in Sociology at UP Diliman. She is also a Research Fellow at the Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC). Her current research engagements include school-based feeding programs, regional health collaborations, civil-military relations, and military professionalism in the Philippines. For the past two years, she has acted as the project lead for the Philippines component of the Asian Perception Study funded by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
Dr Yohanes I Wayan Marianta is a lecturer at the Widya Sasana College of Philosophy and Theology in Malang, Indonesia. He obtained his doctorate in sociology from the University of Indonesia in 2021. His research interests include environmental movements, politics, and religion. For the past two years, he has led a research project on the perceptions of Indonesian elites towards Japan, the US, and PRC, which is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and conducted in collaboration with a team from the Institute of Philippine Culture at Ateneo de Manila University.
Registration
This is a hybrid event which will be held at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute (ISEAS).
Attending the Event In-person at ISEAS
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Seating capacity is limited. Do register early to avoid disappointment.
Attending the Event Virtually via Webinar
To join the event virtually at the specified date and time using your internet devices, please register here to receive your unique login link for the webinar via the zoom platform.
If you have questions for the speakers, please key in your questions via the Q&A, stating your name and affiliation. The moderator will field them to the speaker during the Q&A session.