Japan's Close Ties with Southeast Asia Hold Lessons for U.S.
Nikkei Asia
The following is an excerpt from ASPI Director for Political-Security Affairs Emma Chanlett-Avery's op-ed originally published in Nikkei Asia.
As Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida welcomes nine Southeast Asian leaders to Tokyo next week to celebrate a half century of Japan-ASEAN relations, U.S. policymakers should be taking note on how Tokyo has effectively engaged with nations in China's backyard.
Japan's patient and generous multidimensional approach to the region has generated ample goodwill and trust. The strategy has reaped benefits for the U.S., too, but such gains could slip away if Washington fails to better coordinate its efforts with Tokyo in this critical arena of competition with China.
While U.S. and Japanese priorities in the region are often complementary, Tokyo's quiet leadership can be a model for Washington to emulate to promote the two countries' mutual strategic priorities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Regional public opinion polls show that Japan is seen as the most reliable and trusted nation by ASEAN thought leaders. This favorable view is partially the result of decades of official development assistance, nearly $130 billion worth to date.
Robust trade ties also buttress relations, with Japan now ASEAN's third-largest trading partner. As Japan loosens its traditional restraints on exporting arms, it has introduced a new program of Official Security Assistance, which is beginning to provide another avenue for deepened cooperation with ASEAN countries.
Japan's talented diplomacy in Southeast Asia has yielded several victories favorable to the global agenda of the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.
