COMPLETION REPORTMalaysia's Japan Policy in the context of a rising China : A Re-Interpretation of 'The
Look East Policy'
Geetha Govindasamy(+1)
Senior Lecturer
Department of East Asian Studies
Faculty of Arts and Social Science
University of Malaya
Malaysia and Japan have enjoyed a smooth relationship for over six decades. When Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad first became the leader of Malaysia in 1981, he reoriented Malaysia foreign policy
from the west to the east. Japan became his experiment in introducing Malaysians to East Asia. In doingso, he highlighted the determination and power of Japan as an economic powerhouse and as an example
of representing the essence of Asian values. Six months into being the Prime Minister, Mahathir started
the Look East Policy which allowed Malaysians to be exposed to the technical know-how and work
ethics as well as discipline of the Japanese people. However, while Japan-Malaysia relations flourished,
the Look East Policy (LEP) floundered under subsequent prime ministers who neglected it. For example,Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak from Barisan Nasional favoured China over Japan. His policy coincidedvery much with China’s Belt and Road initiative, which provided tremendous benefits to developing
countries like Malaysia. However an unexpected regime change and personality driven foreign policy inMalaysia made a huge difference to the development of the LEP. In the aftermath of Malaysia’s historic
14th general election, the country witnessed the return of Malaysia’s longest-serving premier, Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad and the regime change from the former Barisan Nasional (National Front)
to a new party coalition, the Pakatan Harapan (People’s Pact/People’s Alliance). I began the investigation
with the assumption that as part of fulfilling his election manifesto, Mahathir gestured a foreign policy
shift from China to Japan amid doubts over existing Malaysian debts and dependence on Chinese
investments. However, I found that Mahathir’s foreign policy did not show a massive shift from Japanto China but rather he re-orientated his policy to diversifying his strategic economic partners, providing
a chance for the Look East Policy (LEP) to be reinvigorated under Pakatan Harapan. By leaning towards
Japan, but not abandoning China, Malaysia managed the rise of China and at the same time invited backJapanese influence to bolster the country’s development policies in the aftermath of corruption scandals
and a weakened economy. Unfortunately, Mahathir’s second term as a Prime Minister ended after 22months in government. The regime shift resulted in the LEP being sidelines again. Japan needs toreinvigorate its relations with Malaysia in order to strengthen the free and open international order in theface of a rising China. The LEP should not only concentrate on education and economic relations but
also be expanded to include security and maritime cooperation as a way to enhance the Free and Open
Indo-Pacific (FOIP) and the ‘ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)’. More future research needs
to be conducted to encourage such a rebranding of the LEP.

Publication of the Results of Research Project:
Verbal Presentation (Date, Venue, Name of Conference, Title of Presentation, Presenter, etc.)
1) Dr. Geetha Govindasamy, Regime Change and Malaysia-Japan Relations: Explaining Shifts andContinuity in Foreign Policy, MAJAS Member Lecture Series 2020, Webinar (KL), 17 December
2020, sponsored by Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2) Dr. Muhammad Danial Azman, Another Case of Look East Policy? Malaysia Response towards
China's and Japan's Infrastructural Investment and Economic Arrangements, MAJAS Member
Lecture Series 2020, Webinar (KL), 17 December 2020, sponsored by Japan Foundation, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
• Link: https://www.jfkl.org.my/events/majas-member-lecture-series-december-2020/
Thesis (Name of Journal and its Date, Title and Author of Thesis, etc.)
Govindasamy, G. & Azman, M. D. (2020), Regime Change and Malaysia-Japan Relations: Explaining
Shifts and Continuity in Foreign Policy. International Journal of East Asian Studies, 9(1), 47-66.
• Govindasamy, G. (2022), A Re-Interpretation of the Look East Policy in the Context of a RisingChina, Japan Foundation Book project, (pending in 2022).
• Govindasamy, G. (2022), Look East Policy and New Southern Policy: Convergence of interests
between Malaysia and South Korea, Japan Foundation Book project, (pending in 2022).
Book (Publisher and Date of the Book, Title and Author of the Book, etc.)
Public dissemination of Research: