Greetings from DISG Secretariat
Dear all DISG Friends,
We are pleased to share with you our second Monthly Newsletter of the year.
Last month saw significant progress in ASEAN-Japan economic cooperation.
H.E. HAGIUDA Koichi, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, visited Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. This was his first foreign travel since taking up his post last October and a big event that symbolises the significance of ASEAN for Japan.
The highlight of his trip for us, the AMEICC/DISG team, was the policy speech he delivered. At the event, "Dialogue for Innovative and Sustainable Growth (DISG): The Next Chapter of ASEAN and Japan Economic Cooperation in the Post-Pandemic Era", held jointly with FPCI in Indonesia and ERIA, the Minister outlined the policy direction for ASEAN and Japan to work together as equal partners in co-creation and to enhance future-oriented investment for the development of ASEAN and the rest of Asia. We were honored to be involved in this momentous occasion in our DISG activities.
A series of projects are ready to be set in motion in line with this policy, so please see more details here below.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, we are always impressed by the resilience of the region to move forward towards the post-pandemic era. As I conclude my address, I wish you all well.
KOBAYASHI Hirokazu
Chair of AMEICC DISG Task Force
Executive Director, JETRO Singapore
Japan’s Economic Minister Hagiuda Visited Southeast Asia
From 9th to 14th January, H.E. HAGIUDA Koichi, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, visited Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand to hold bilateral meetings with relevant ministers and others. This was his first foreign travel since taking up his post last October as abovementioned. The overview of Minister Hagiuda’s visit was as follows.
During the stay in Indonesia, Minister Hagiuda held talks with H.E. Arifin (Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources), H.E. Lutfi (Minister of Trade), H.E. Agus (Minister of Industry), H.E. Luhut (Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs), and H.E. Airlangga (Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs). They discussed a wide range of issues, including energy transitions and efforts toward deepening bilateral economic relations based on the concepts behind AJIF. He also had a meeting with H.E. Lim, Secretary-General of ASEAN, and they exchanged views on RCEP, economic cooperation between ASEAN and Japan, and more.
In Singapore, Minister Hagiuda met with Singapore's Minister of Trade and Industry, H.E. Gan Kim Yong, to discuss a wide range of subjects including bilateral relations, AJIF, RCEP, CPTPP, and so on. He also visited a shared office space to exchange views with Japanese companies involved in venture capital and startups, etc.
During his stay in Thailand, Minister Hagiuda paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Prayut (Prime Minister of Thailand) and held meetings with H.E. Supattanapong (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy), H.E. Don (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs), H.E. Anek (Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation), and H.E. Suriya (Minister of Industry). They discussed a wide range of issues, including bilateral relations, AJIF, and energy transitions. He also paid a visit to a local Toyota plant.
Regards to further detail of Minister Hagiuda’s visit to Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, please see here for METI’s news release.
In addition, making use of this opportunity, Minister Hagiuda announced the ASIA-Japan Investing for the Future Initiative (AJIF), a new initiative that provides the direction for economic cooperation in Asia, with a view towards the post-pandemic era. Please see the detail of AJIF in next article.
Outline of ASIA-Japan Investing for the Future Initiative (AJIF)
Minister Hagiuda announced the ASIA-Japan Investing for the Future Initiative (AJIF) during his visit to Southeast Asia. This new initiative was first presented in the online DISG event held on 10th January, co-hosted by Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) of Japan and AMEICC Secretariat. Minister Hagiuda joined this event as keynote speaker and announced this new initiative during his keynote speech.
For more information about the online DISG event (theme: The Next Chapter of ASEAN and Japan Economic Cooperation in the Post-Pandemic Era), please see here.
The ASEAN region is facing changes due to ever faster innovation (notably due to the march of digitalization) and increasing awareness of the importance of sustainability in urban and rural areas (including problems with transportation infrastructure and other issues arising from the progress of climate change and urbanization). In light of these changes, this initiative aims to actively promote new future-oriented investment (future investment) based on three principles:
(1) offer effective solutions to the reality faced by ASEAN countries;
(2) create the foundation for sustainable economic society, using private sectors’ innovation to the maximum extent; and
(3) “co-create” the region’s future through collaboration with local businesses and partnerships between Japan and ASEAN countries.
Specifically, the initiative will aim to strengthen investment in supply chains, connectivity, digital innovation, and human resources to bring about the following ideal images of the future:
(1) improving attractiveness of the region as a hub of global supply chain; and
(2) creating innovation to enhance sustainability and solve social challenges
For more information, please see the related materials below.
Please see here for Outline of “ASEAN-Japan Economic Cooperation in the Post-Pandemic Era” released by METI, Japan
Please see here for METI’s news release.
New public invitation just opened for
“Program for Strengthening Overseas Supply Chains” between ASEAN-JP
On 31st January, it was announced that new public invitation started as a fifth batch for the Financial Support Program for Strengthening Overseas Supply Chains. The Financial Support Program, funded more than 300 million US dollars by METI Japan and one of the flagship programs under “AJIF”, aims to enhance the viability of industries by strengthening supply chain resilience between ASEAN and Japan. So far, four batches of the program have been released and a total of 92 projects have been adopted. We believe this program should contribute to strengthening supply chain resilience in ASEAN.
Please see here for the details of this program.
Editorial Note
