January 12, 2023
National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM)
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

Signing of Memorandum of Understanding
between NCGM and ERIA
to Accelerate International Clinical Research in Asia
Tokyo/Jakarta – On December 23, 2022, the National Center for Global Health andMedicine (NCGM), Tokyo, and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East
Asia (ERIA), Jakarta, announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) toaccelerate international clinical research in Asia and to promote the international
expansion of pharmaceutical products. The MoU was signed by their respective
presidents, Norihiro Kokudo (NCGM) and Hidetoshi Nishimura (ERIA).

MoU

MoU

MoU Signing Ceremony, December 23, 2022
(ERIA President Hidetoshi Nishimura, left; NCGM President Norihiro Kokudo, right)

MoU

MoU Signing Ceremony, December 23, 2022
(ERIA President Hidetoshi Nishimura, left; NCGM President Norihiro Kokudo, right)

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With the signing of this MoU, NCGM and ERIA plan to implement projects that willcontribute to the enhancement of healthcare systems and the promotion of thehealthcare industry in the entire region, including Japan and ASEAN (the Associationof Southeast Asian Nations). For example, ERIA will support NCGM’s international
clinical research activities within ASEAN and East Asia as a partner of the ARO1
Alliance for ASEAN and East Asia (ARISE2), an international clinical research and trials
network led by NCGM. This will include financial support.
As one of the National Centers for Advanced and Specialized Medical Care and a basefor international medicine in Japan, NCGM engages in international medical
cooperation and international medical development activities. It is the research
center to conduct global clinical research, including emerging and re-emerging
infectious diseases such as COVID-19. On the other hand, ERIA is an international
research organization that conducts policy research on regional trade and investment,
industry, national resilience, energy, agriculture, the environment, and healthcare in
response to diverse regional needs. ERIA supports the ASEAN and the East Asia
Summit.
At the signing ceremony, NCGM President Kokudo said, “In cooperation with ERIA
and relevant Ministries, we will enhance the clinical research functions of ARISE, aclinical research and trial network in the region and strive to expand the international
development of pharmaceuticals and medical devices needed in Asian countries. We
hope to work together toward solving health issues for Asian people.” Meanwhile,
ERIA President Nishimura expressed his expectation, saying “I am confident that bymaking full use of ERIA’s strong, high-level relationships of trust with ASEAN
countries and NCGM’s clinical trial network, ARISE, we will be able to make evidencebased policy proposals and contribute to the development of the ASEAN region andJapan.”2

Further, based on this MoU, NCGM and ERIA will support the Asia Health andWellbeing Initiative (AHWIN), a mission that contributes to the realization of a societythat promotes healthy aging. AHWIN is led by the Government of Japan.

Glossary*1 ARO: Academic Research Organization. As an academic clinical research institute, an ARO
is an organization in which a university or other institution with a research institute or medicalcenter supports clinical and also non-clinical research including drug development.
*2 ARO Alliance for ASEAN and East Asia (ARISE): ARISE is a network of core clinical researchfacilities in Asia that NCGM built up based on cooperative relationships to realize rapid andlow-cost drug and medical device development. The NCGM Center for Clinical Sciences
started this initiative with the support of a project subsidized by the Japan Agency for Medical
Research and Development (AMED).

NCGM (National Center for Global Health and Medicine): NCGM is one of the six national
centers for Advanced and Specialized Medical Care (National Centers). Its roots originatedfrom the military hospital established in 1868, and then from 2015 it became the National
Center for Global Health and Medicine. It is an Independent Administrative Institution andcelebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018. NCGM consists of the Center Hospital, the Kohnodai
Hospital, the Research Institute, the Center for Clinical Sciences, the Bureau of International
Health Cooperation, the National College of Nursing, Japan and other organizations. NCGM
undertakes research and advanced comprehensive medical services on infectious andimmune diseases and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. NCGM also promotes international
cooperation in healthcare and pursues the development of healthcare professionals.
https://www.ncgm.go.jp/

ERIA (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia): ERIA is an internationalorganization established in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2008, from an agreement at the Third EastAsia Summit in 2007 between 16 countries (10 ASEAN, 3 East Asian – Japan, China, and South
Korea, plus 3 – India, Australia, and New Zealand). Through policy research and proposals that
contribute to economic integration, ERIA supports the ASEAN and East Asia Summit chairs.
ERIA’s research activities cover a wide range of fields including trade and investment,
industrial policy, energy, national resilience, agriculture, the environment, and healthcare,depending on the diverse policy needs of ASEAN.
https://www.eria.org

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Contact Information
National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM)
1-21-1, Toyama, Shinjuku-City, Tokyo 162-8655, JAPAN
Office of Public Relations
TEL : +81-3-3202-7181
Email : press@hosp.ncgm.go.jp
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
Sentral Senayan II, 5th-6th Floors, Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8,
Gelora Bunk Karno, Senayan, Jakarta Pusat 10270 Indonesia
TEL : +62 811 9631 2830
Healthcare Unit: Antonio Villanueva (English)
Email : antonio.villanueva@eria.org

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