CEAC Commentary introduces outstanding news
analyses and noteworthy opinions in Japan, but it
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June 27, 2005

An Open Community Based on Universal Values
By ITO Kenichi
East Asia stands at the historic crossroads today. In the economic aspect, East Asia is now atremendous source of dynamism for the entire world, and the process toward de facto regional
economic integration is in progress. Wide-ranging functional cooperation is moving forward in avariety of areas including FTAs, finance, and the transnational issues. Moreover, in social andcultural spheres, a new middle class—one which shares the same lifestyles and interests—isemerging in East Asian countries, and this class is shaping new cultural phenomena and values.
On the other hand, from the political and security aspects, enormous diversity and disparities
still exist among the countries in the region, particularly in the political principles and regimes
as well as in recognitions of security threats. Various political problems cast shadows over thefuture of the region, for which the current state of Japan-China relations is just an example.
In order to achieve the creation of an East Asian community, we need to develop our own
original approaches based on the actual situation in the region. The experiences of Europe andother regions may give us many valuable insights and lessons regarding the creation of aregion-wide community, but we cannot just apply the same approaches to East Asia. Mr. Yasushi
Akashi, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations who made great efforts for peacebuilding in Cambodia and the former Yugoslavia, makes a very pertinent point when he says that“for peace building, a different methodology is necessary for each and every case, and eachapproach must be tailor-made.” In the same way, approaches for regional community–building
must also be “tailor-made.” It would be a mistake to try to apply the same European
methodology to East Asia. At the same time, just because the European methodology cannot beapplied to East Asia, we should not be pessimistic about the prospects for the creation of an East
Asian community.
Then, what kind of approach is appropriate for East Asia? Many people argue that a “functionalapproach” rather than an “institutional approach” is best suited to East Asia. I, too, share thisview. Considering the situation in East Asia, it would be very difficult to establish anytime soon
political institutions similar to the EU’s. A much more realistic approach is to start frompromoting functional cooperation in various areas and sectors. But in order to create aregion-wide community, it will be essential not only to promote functional cooperation but also
to foster common values in the region, which could be called the ethos of the community. These
common values provide the basis for the fostering of mutual trust and confidence as well as a1

shared sense of community among the countries in the region. They also serve as a catalyst forbringing together the different lines of cooperation in the various functional fields andintegrating them into the comprehensive entirety of the community. In light of the diversity inEast Asia, fostering common values in the region is by no means an easy task. But this makes it
all the more incumbent on us to develop original and effective methods for doing so.
The origins of the common values in Europe can be traced both (a) to the shared historical roots
reaching back to the early days of Christianity, Roman law, Latin, and so forth, and (b) to themore modern universal values represented by liberal democracy and market economy. We can,of course, theoretically consider taking a similar approach for East Asia. However, the problem
is that Asia is far more diverse in cultures, religions and ethnicities than Europe, and it is noteasy to identify common traditional values shared across the region. Rather we should try to findcommonality in the region’s tolerance in accepting this diversity of cultures, religions, andtraditions. In either case, finding the true state of values and perceptions in East Asia is anincreasingly important endeavor from now. We are placing high expectations on the results ofprojects in this area, such as the Promotion of East Asian Studies project, headed by Professor
Akihiko Tanaka of Tokyo University, and the Asia Barometer Survey project, led by Professor
Takashi Inoguchi of Chuo University.
With reference to the universal values like freedom, human rights, and democracy, although wecall them “universal,” they are clearly originated in modern Western societies. It is thus difficult
to claim that these values have taken root in East Asia to a level comparable to that in theWestern world. At the same time, in East Asia the process of democratization is progressing
steadily, step by step, in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, and othercountries, and the importance of these universal values is increasingly well recognized.
Moreover, references to universal values like democracy have come to be incorporated as an
essential element in statements and documents issued by regional summit meetings, such as theTokyo Declaration issued by the Japan-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in 2003, theDeclaration of ASEAN Concord II by the 2003 ASEAN Summit, and the Declaration ofStrategic Partnership by the Asia-Africa Summit in April of this year. Moreover, the “newmiddle class,” which is expected to be the cadre for the creation of an East Asian community inthe future, is a generation of globalization. When this generation comes to occupy the nucleus ofEast Asian societies, greater possibilities will open up for universal values to take root in agenuine sense.
Looked at in this way, I believe we should search for the origins of East Asian common values
both in Asian values rooted in the history of the region as well as in the universal values sharedby the modern world. The search for, and recognition of, Asian values will serve to clarify theidentity of an East Asian community and contribute to the creation of prosperous societies andcultures that retain their own uniqueness and originality. On the other side, the genuine
realization of the universal values will facilitate the establishment of more dynamic and mature2

social, economic, and political institutions. Moreover, the common values forged in this way
will greatly contribute to the fostering of mutual trust and confidence among the countries in theregion and to the enhancing of understanding of, and trust in, the creation of an East Asian
community among countries outside of the region. I already alluded to the problems between
Japan and China at the beginning of my remarks, but I believe that these problems currently
bedeviling the Japan-China relationship have arisen largely because trust and confidence basedon shared values has not been fostered between the two countries.
At the East Asia Summit to be held in December of this year, the leaders of the participating
countries should agree to make the sharing of values—values both Asian and universal innature—one of the important pillars underpinning the fundamental principles for regional
cooperation with a view to creating a region-wide community in the future. They should thenmake clear their aspiration to realize an Asian-like East Asia, which is richly unique and diverse,
as well as to build a new East Asia, in which respect for freedom, human rights, and democracy
is genuinely rooted. Moreover, Japan, which has realized to a high degree both Asian anduniversal values, should demonstrate strong leadership in this endeavor.
(This is the text of a speech delivered by Prof. ITO Kenichi, President of the Council on
East Asian Community, in the 4th “Japan-ASEAN Dialogue” on “The Prospect for East
Asian Community and Regional Cooperation” held by the Global Forum of Japan in Tokyo
on June 12-13, 2005.)

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