Mahathir, who introduced the policy after becoming prime minister in 1981, said the policy had contributed to the country’s economic and infrastructural development through closer ties with Japan.

“It has been four decades since the introduction of the policy and I believe it is still a good and relevant policy for Malaysia,” he said at the launch of a book commemorating 40 years of the Look East Policy.

Mahathir cited two examples where the policy benefitted Malaysia – when managing the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s and the training of Malaysian students in Japan.

These students, he said, returned from Japan with the discipline and work ethics of the Japanese.

“I know I run the risk of being accused of over-praising the Japanese by saying all this. Of course, the Japanese are not devoid of human failings as other races from whichever part of the world.

“But their work ethic, discipline, pride, and sense of shame when failing, are some of the values that I wanted to be embraced by Malaysians when the Look East Policy was formulated and introduced.”

Since 1981, some 26,000 Malaysian students have furthered their studies in Japan.