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Waiting for PM Kishida’s defense and economic doctrine
Japan will remain one of the most important economic and sociocultural powers in the region. ASEAN has strong faith in Japan’s commitment to delivering its promises.
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Banding together: ASEAN and Japanese leaders Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (left), Singaporean President Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Laotian Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and Malaysian lower house speaker Azhar Azizan Harun (right) wave on stage during the ASEAN-Japan Summit as part of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Phnom Penh on Nov. 12, 2022.
(AFP/Nhac Nguyen)
J
apanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is closer to making his defense, political and economic doctrine, which he dubs the “Kishida Vision for Peace”. It will be much broader, more impactful, but more alarming than the 1977 doctrine of then-PM Takeo Fukuda’s, which was aimed more at appeasing Southeast Asian people’s anger with the country’s economic domination at that time.
Put simply, Japan is now openly anticipating a global war while assuring ASEAN that the region will remain a priority for Japan no matter what.
There will be objections, especially from its former colonies, especially China, and, to a much lesser degree, South Korea. The two Asian economic powers’ refusal is likely to stem from their traumatic experience of enduring Japanese militarism in the past.
This time ASEAN countries may have to readjust themselves with Japan’s possible strategic shift, which perceives the regional grouping as a lucrative trade and economic partner no more, but as a key player in the Asia-Pacific outlook. A bold position will put the 10-member bloc in a central role to counterbalance the growing rivalry among big powers in the Asia-Pacific region, especially the South China Sea. The question is how far ASEAN can strike a fine balance between the positive and negative impacts of the rivalry.
I am pretty sure Japan will remain one of the most-important economic and sociocultural powers in the region. ASEAN has strong faith in Japan’s commitment to delivering its promises.
I drew the conclusion after following Kishida’s foreign policy remarks since he came to power in October 2021, including his marvelously choreographed appearances as a keynote speaker at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June last year, his press statement at a Cabinet meeting in December and his public lecture at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Studies in Baltimore, Maryland, the United States, in January of this year.
What is next for Fukuda’s doctrine, which is still often asserted by Japanese leaders, including Kishida, in their public statements, in the context of Japan-ASEAN relations?
