Q1: First of all, from your perspective, how do you define the Indo-Pacific strategy in today’s world? Why do you believe the region has so much potential and has become so powerful?
Recently, an increasing number of countries have developed their own versions of the Indo-Pacific strategy. These include Japan’s visionary Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and the US’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. The number of different strategies highlights the growing attention on this region in diplomatic discourses.
Geographically, the Indo-Pacific region covers a broad area surrounding the two referenced oceans. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean, across Asia and the Indian Ocean, to the Middle East and Africa. There are hundreds of nations and islands in this vast region and more than half of the world’s population live within it. Of course, the ASEAN countries are located right in the center.
It is important to note that most countries in this region are relatively young, rapidly emerging and have huge potential for growth. We might refer to the Indo-Pacific region as the core of the world’s vitality because it is the key to global prosperity.
On the other hand, as geo-political tensions have grown between emerging and powerful countries, the Indo-Pacific region has become an arena for power competition and, as a result, there have been drastic shifts in the regional balance of power.
The region also faces a variety of threats, such as piracy, terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, natural disasters, environmental degradation and illegal fishing.
Against this backdrop of economic potential and security challenges, it is vital to secure peace and prosperity in the region and beyond, as well as to bring stability and prosperity to every country in the region.
Japan’s FOIP is a vison that seeks to establish a free and open order in the Indo-Pacific region, based on the rule of law, while upholding ASEAN’s centrality and unity. Importantly, Japan welcomes any country that shares or supports this idea and is happy to work with them.
For Japan, the importance of an encompassing view of the Indian and Pacific Oceans is not a recent invention. The concept of FOIP has been developing for many years and these two oceans have always been essential to Japan. The origin of the concept for FOIP can be found as far back as 2007, during former Prime Minister Abe’s official visit to India when he delivered the speech entitled “The Confluence of Two Seas”. He then rolled out Japan’s vision of FOIP officially in his keynote speech at TICAD VI in Nairobi in August 2016.
In that speech, late Prime Minister Abe pointed out the importance of the sea lanes that connect Asia and Africa across the two oceans as the key to bringing stability and prosperity to the international community. This is still the FOIP vision that Japan is working for today.
Q2: As Japan was the first state to pose the idea of the Indo-Pacific Strategy on the ground, what visions does Japan have for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific? What benefits do you see there being for the region’s states and beyond?
For Japan, there are three major pillars that hold up the vision of FOIP.
The first pillar is the promotion of the fundamental principles of the international community, which include the rule of law, freedom of navigation and free trade.
Second is the pursuit of economic prosperity through the enhancement of connectivity, including the development of quality transport infrastructure.
The third pillar is a commitment to peace and stability. This would be achieved through capacity building initiatives that focus on maritime law enforcement, disaster risk reduction, anti-piracy, nuclear non-proliferation, and so on.
That is a schematic overview of Japan’s vision for FOIP. Now I would like to highlight more practical aspects of FOIP.
FOIP is underpinned by a balance between fundamental principles and concrete actions. Principles and actions are inseparable. We believe it is crucial to put both in place together.
That’s why Japan is engaged in wide-ranging ODA projects, as well as the promotion of free trade and private investment in the region, while, at the same time, we are promoting the fundamental principles that uphold the rule of law, respect for human rights, free trade, and so on.
In Cambodia, several transportation infrastructure projects are being implemented to enhance connectivity. For example, the construction of the Neak Loeung Bridge (Tsubasa Bridge), which is part of the Japan-Cambodia cooperation strategy to develop the Southern Economic Corridor linking Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and the countries beyond, is already complete. Japan is also supporting the development of the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port so that it can fulfill its role as a key logistical hub for Cambodia and the wider Mekong region. Furthermore, in terms of infrastructure development in the Mekong region, Japan is working with other partners, including the US and Australia, to upgrade region-wide connectivity.
Developing an attractive business and investment environment is one of the keys to economic prosperity and stability. So, in response to this need, we launched the Cambodian-Japan Public-Private Sector Meetings and, so far, we have held more than twenty sessions to discuss and agree ways to make the business environment in Cambodia more favorable to foreign investors. At the meeting, representatives from the government and the private sector discuss challenging issues, ranging from tax and customs systems, to human resource development. We are confident that these joint efforts are contributing to the delivery of tangible outcomes.
Japan also attaches great importance to the promotion of free trade, which is one of the key elements of the first pillar of FOIP. Japan is one of the major promoters of the RCEP, CPTPP and AJCEP economic partnership agreements. In fact, I, myself, participated in the negotiation of the CPTPP, as co-chair for the CPTPP Legal Working Group, back in 2017 and other EPAs. We hope that the RCEP will contribute to the promotion of free and fair trade and a better investment environment across the entire region. To this end, it is vital to preserve a free and open maritime order.
Q3: Why are great powers and other emerging powers recalibrating and focusing their foreign policies towards the region?
We are not in a position to comment on the policy shifts of other countries. However, as I mentioned earlier, the Indian and Pacific Oceans have always been important to Japan. The importance of a transverse view of the two oceans is not a recent invention. For Japan, the concept of FOIP has been developing for many years.
This is particularly relevant to ASEAN, which is located at the center of the Indo-Pacific region and is, therefore, the key to the realization of FOIP. In 2023, we will be marking the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan friendship and cooperation. Japan will continue to promote and support solid cooperation strategies that contribute to the realization of FOIP and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and which share our fundamental principles, in order to elevate ASEAN-Japan relations to an even higher level.
Q4: Some are suggesting that the Indo-Pacific region has been seen as a strategic area for the ‘great powers’ and it has, therefore, become their battleground in the competition for strategy, economy, trade, security and other fields. Against this backdrop, interest in the Indo-Pacific region by both superpowers and emerging powers has led to the generation of a number of strategies, such as the FOIP, IPEF, QUAD, the AUKUS Alliance, and so on. In the context of the current competitive era between the US and China, what do these strategies mean for the Indo-Pacific region? How will all of this impact on the smaller states like Cambodia?
Instead of discussing the impact of different strategies on the region, I would like to highlight the universal importance of international law, in particular the law of the sea, for a free and open Indo-Pacific as these strategies all relate to the embracing of the rule of law.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was adopted in 1982. UNCLOS is a comprehensive set of rules relating to the sea and it is often referred to as “the Constitution of the Oceans”. While some states, including Cambodia, have yet to ratify it, UNCLOS legally binds, under customary international law, even those not party to the treaties to abide by the rules. However, interpretation of the rules is often subject to dispute between individual states. This doesn’t mean, however, that states are free to interpret the rules as they see fit. Every state always has to explain its interpretation in a legitimate manner and must embrace the associated legal and diplomatic processes. The international community must firmly reject any behaviors that unilaterally try to change the status quo by the use of force or disregard others’ opinions. This core principle is essential to the success of these strategies.
Q5: What role can Japan play in equipping the region for better stability and prosperity?
For stability and prosperity across the region, Japan considers that promoting the rule of law, improving quality of life and ensuring maritime stability should be pursued alongside the promotion of economic prosperity through enhancing connectivity and free trade.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September this year in which he stressed the importance of promoting the rule of law within the international community.
Japan has been working alongside key stakeholders to promote the rule of law in Cambodia. In particular, JICA’s legal and judicial development project has been in place for more than twenty years and has contributed to the drafting of several important basic laws, including the Civil Code of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Also, improving quality of life for all of the region’s people is essential if better prosperity is to be achieved. People in the ASEAN countries have achieved rapid economic development during the last decades, but they have faced accompanying challenges, such as environmental degradation, urban congestion, public health issues, an aging society, energy issues and natural disasters. Based on its own experience, Japan has much to contribute in terms of assisting in addressing these issues. In fact, there are many projects already being supported by Japan that are aimed at improving quality of life for the Cambodian people. These include projects related to waste management, water supply and sewerage systems, hospitals, flood protection and drainage and public bus operations.
Lastly, maritime security and safety is indispensable for the success of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. To this end, Japan is cooperating with ASEAN’s coastal countries to build capacity within maritime law enforcement agencies through the provision of equipment and human resource development. In Cambodia, two patrol boats donated by the Japanese Government in 2018 are being used to prevent smuggling at sea and along the coast. Japan would like to continue cooperation in this field while respecting the ownership of each country.
Q6: How can the region’s states seize this opportunity to capture global interest and achieve prosperity for their countries going forward?
Cambodia expressed its support for Japan’s FOIP ahead of many other countries when former Prime Minister Abe proposed the initiative to Prime Minister Hun Sen in August 2017. Shortly after that, the United States developed its own FOIP strategy.
After the United States advanced its own FOIP strategy in 2017, there was some caution on the part of ASEAN, mainly driven by the growing competition between the US and China. Discussions about FOIP among ASEAN member states took place and finally, in June 2019, ASEAN announced its ASEAN Outlook of the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
AOIP sets forth ASEAN’s centrality and unity, the rule of law, openness, freedom, transparency and inclusiveness as its guiding principles for action in the Indo-Pacific region, and it shares many commonalities with Japan’s FOIP.
Japanese and ASEAN leaders, including Prime Minister Hun Sen, confirmed, at the ASEAN-Japan Summit in November 2020, that AOIP and FOIP share relevant and fundamental principles for the promotion of peace and cooperation. Japan will continue to work closely with ASEAN and Cambodia to ensure wide-ranging and robust cooperation in order to achieve the common objectives set out in FOIP and AOIP.