Prime Minister Noda Attends ASEAN-Related Summits: Actively Undertaking Multilateral and Bilateral Diplomacy Encompassing a Wide Range of Issues On 17 to 19 November, ASEAN-related summit meetings were held in Bali, the Republic of Indonesia, which Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda attended from Japan. Prime Minister Noda attended the 14th Japan-ASEAN Summit, the 14th ASEAN+3 Summit (both held on 18) and the 6th East Asia Summit (EAS) on 19, as well as other meetings such as the 3rd Japan-Mekong Summit on 18 and the Japan-China-ROK (Republic of Korea) Summit Meeting on 19. Prime Minister Noda further conducted bilateral summit meetings with leaders from Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, and Australia, and also had conversations with H.E. Mr. Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. Japan-ASEAN Summit At the Summit, Prime Minister Noda said Japan would actively support ASEAN in building an ASEAN community in 2015. At the same time, he explained that Japan considered the enhancement of connectivity led by ASEAN as a significant issue and that Japan was addressing it at the ministerial level as a priority issue. In this connection, Prime Minister Noda assured that Japan would extend assistance focusing on improvement of “Formation of the Vital Artery for East-West and Southern Economic Corridor” and “Maritime Economic Corridor,” as well as projects of software infrastructure throughout the ASEAN region as its pillars. Moreover, he proposed a “List of flagship projects for enhancing ASEAN Connectivity” comprising major projects conducive to enhancing connectivity, accordingly pointing to the need for financial arrangement for the implementation of the projects through such means as ODA and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) as well as a sort of mechanism to mobilize private-sector funds and coordination with Asian Development Bank. Prime Minister Noda went on to say Japan would provide assistance to Myanmar in executing comprehensive development survey involving such matters as the development of special economic zones at the request of the Government of Republic of the Union of Myanmar based on the recent positive trends in Myanmar. With regard to the area of disaster management, Prime Minister Noda said that as a means to strengthen its cooperation, Japan would support the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center) develop as a regional hub of disaster management. At the same time, he said Japan would launch efforts to implement a “Disaster Management Network for ASEAN Region.” Also, he referred to other relevant efforts, such as hosting an international high-level conference for the purpose of sharing experiences in and lessons-learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Furthermore, Prime Minister Noda suggested cooperation in holding the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Disaster Relief Exercise on a regular basis. Prime Minister Noda touched on youth exchange as well, explaining that Japan was considering the possibility of realizing exchanges among about 3,000 young people in Japan and ASEAN during the period to the end of March2013. At the conclusion of the Summit, H.E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia, who chaired the meeting, declared a new joint declaration and plan of action adopted, the first actions of the kind in eight years since the Tokyo Declaration and the ASEAN-Japan Plan of Action were adopted in 2003. In this connection, Prime Minister Noda proposed that the new declaration should be named the “Bali Declaration” after the Indonesian island where the Summit was held and received endorsement from those present. He said Japan would continue to strive to bolster Japan-ASEAN cooperation in accordance with the principles incorporated into the Bali Declaration and the Japan-ASEAN Plan of Action and asked for cooperation from the ASEAN leaders. East Asia Summit (EAS) Prime Minister Noda, welcoming the first participation in the EAS of the United States and the Russian Federation, stated that he wants to develop the EAS into a leaders-led forum that confirms common ideas and fundamental rules of the region through enhancing political and security initiatives in addition to practical cooperation promoted so far, thus connecting its outcome to tangible cooperation. He also made a point that the ocean is public goods connecting the Asia-Pacific region and expressed Japan’s understanding that the participating countries shared the importance of fundamental rules pertaining to the ocean such as peaceful dispute settlement, freedom of navigation and compliance with international law, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. In this connection, Prime Minister Noda underlined the importance of having a forum where government officials and private-sector intellectuals could have a wide-ranging and free exchange of views on ways of cooperation in the ocean. As for sharing democratic values, Prime Minister Noda said it was significant to make full use of the Bali Democracy Forum in order to do so, and in this respect he noted with appreciation a wave of positive moves under way in Myanmar towards democratization and national reconciliation, and hoped that the country would further promote its dialogue with the international community. He added it was important for the international community to support the initiatives taken by Myanmar. Also, concerning low-carbon growth, Prime Minister Noda expressed his wish to forge a low-carbon growth model through promotion of Japan’s initiative on the “East-Asia Low Carbon Growth Partnership” and called on other countries to support a plan for Japan to host a dialogue meeting under the initiative in Tokyo in April 2012. Finally, Prime Minister Noda stressed the importance of enhancing connectivity in the entire East Asian region, including non-ASEAN member countries, and said efforts to that end should be promoted by making use of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. This EAS brought about substantial results particularly by confirming common ideas and fundamental rules of the region through enhancement of its political and security initiatives, and as an outcome, the EAS Leaders released the “Declaration of the EAS Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations” and the “Declaration of the Sixth East Asia Summit on ASEAN Connectivity” at the end of the Summit. In particular, the former reaffirmed in its preamble the Leaders’ commitment to recognized principles of international law, recognizing that the international law of the sea contains crucial norms contributing to the maintenance of peace and security in the region and that respect for international law and settlement of differences and disputes by peaceful means were included in the principles to guide the EAS participating countries. In addition, the chairman’s statement included its positive note of holding of a forum which Japan proposed to exchange views on ways of cooperation in the ocean. Strengthening Economic Partnership Prime Minister Noda stressed there are various ways towards the realization of a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP). In the meetings, he insisted that Japan will take the lead and actively contribute to making a framework of economic partnership based on ASEAN+3 and ASEAN+6 in addition to TPP and gained broad support from many participating countries. In particular, regarding East Asia Free Trade Area (EAFTA) and Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA), Working Groups would be set up among the ASEAN countries and the relevant countries based on the joint proposal of Japan and China. Also, concerning a Japan-China-Korea FTA, the three leaders agreed to conclude the joint study within the year. As for Japan-Australia EPA, the Leaders decided to hold the next round of negotiations in December at the bilateral summit meeting..