Republic of Korea (ROK), and 1,900 from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In May 2008, in a speech entitled “The Future of Asia,” then Prime Minister Fukuda declared that Japan and the Japanese people will work to create a network of never-ending expansion and development in the Asia Pacific region, with the Pacific Ocean becoming an “inland sea.” He declared his intention to further strengthen “heart to heart” trust between the peoples of the Asia Pacific region, and forge bonds “acting together.” To this end he promised five concrete actions. $ ^{72} $

## Support for Southeast-Asia

Moreover, correcting disparities in the East Asian region through promoting integration of ASEAN and development of the Mekong region will lead to stability in the region and by extension benefit Japan. Through cooperation with ASEAN in the Mekong region, spanning parts of Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam (CLV countries), Japan focuses on assistance in developing a socio-economic base, building institutions, and creating a regional network with a view to promoting integration and collaboration in the regional economy by raising standards. Furthermore, in 2007 Japan signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia; EPA negotiations with Viet Nam too are advancing, and efforts aiming to strengthen wider economic relations including trade and investment, as well as building good labor relations, are in progress. By means of such efforts, Japan is supporting interregional integration through sharing of basic values, such as those of democracy, market economy, the rule of law and order, and promoting poverty reduction, as well as the lessening of disparities within the ASEAN region.

In November 2007, then Prime Minister Fukuda attended the 3rd East Asia Summit and the 11th Japan-ASEAN Summit Meeting in Singapore, and declared that he will proactively tackle the global issues of energy, avian influenza and the environment.

With the most ambitious goal being the formation of an ASEAN community by 2015, ASEAN is taking steps to reduce intraregional development disparities. Japan, in its relations with ASEAN, is giving priority to assisting the underdeveloped Mekong region. Thus, since April 2004 it has been implementing the Japan-Mekong Region Partnership Program, which rests upon the following three

Opening ceremony of the 3rd East Asia Summit (Source: EPA=Jiji)

pillars: (1) integrating economies of the region and beyond, (2) expanding trade and investment between Japan and the Mekong region, and (3) sharing universal values and common goals of the region. Under this program, Japan has been expanding assistance to each CLV country as well as to the region as a whole, and will continue for three years until the end of 2009. In addition, Japan made a new contribution to the ASEAN Secretariat of US$52 million to promote Japan-ASEAN economic partnership, of which approximately US$20 million would be to assist the “Development Triangle,” the CLV border region, which is one of the poorest parts of the Mekong Region.

At the January 2008 Japan-Mekong Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held in Tokyo, a document $ ^{73} $ was signed for cooperation in the Development Triangle, in addition to which a further US20 million was declared for supporting the streamlining of logistics in the East-West Economic Corridor. Japan is also reinforcing ties with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which is engaged in a range of regional cooperation in the Asian region. It has created new schemes to support sustainable development by promoting investment in “Enhanced Sustainable Development for Asia (ESDA)” and energy conservation, the “Accelerated Co-Financing scheme with ADB (ACFA),” the “Investment Climate Financing Fund (ICFF)” and the “Asian Clean Energy Fund (ACEF).”

In July 2008, Japan decided to provide a Climate Change Program Loan to Indonesia, as the first step in development loans based on the “Cool Earth Partnership.” Projects to improve the investment climate and energy-related cooperation are also in progress with Indonesia, and joint work is being carried out in areas such as disaster countermeasures, maritime safety in the Strait of Malacca.