Japanese foreign ministry press secretary Toshihiro Kitamura said the renewed momentum reflects not only a decade of consistent diplomacy, but also Japan’s belief in co-creating regional architecture with Asean on equal footing.
“Of course, Japan is a major power, but not a superpower like the US or China. Because of that, we are ready to work with Asean at the same level,” Kitamura told FMT.
He said Japan’s approach to official development assistance and broader collaboration where it has an advantage is “not to give fish but to teach how to fish”.
Japan is willing to share advanced technology and human resources to cooperate in tackling common challenges, he said.
“We are ready to co-work, co-create with Asean,” he said, adding that Japan cannot create a more sustainable and resilient rules-based order, whether for upholding security or facilitating trade, alone.
“We need the cooperation, collaboration of other countries, especially Asean and other Global South countries.”
Asean’s Oct 26 endorsement of FOIP, first launched in 2016 by late former prime minister Shinzo Abe, is a key step forward, Kitamura said, noting that the bloc had previously been cautious in recognising the commonalities between FOIP and its own Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.
“This is important for Japan. We’ve been promoting the initiative of a free and open Indo-Pacific for the past almost nine years, in coordination with allies and like-minded countries.
“In the first joint statement in 2020, Asean didn’t reaffirm the commonality between the two visions. They just took note of the Japanese initiative, So, we welcome such endorsement by the Asean side,” he said.
Japan’s FOIP vision covers cooperation across several pillars, including traditional security assistance, and economic matters such as supply chain resilience.
Takaichi – Japan’s first female prime minister – who is considered a mentee of Abe, intends to carry forward this strategic vision and maintain Japan’s respected partner status in the region. In 2025, Japan was voted the most trusted major power in the region, according to ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Southeast Asia Survey.
Kitamura also said the new Takaichi administration would be marked by continuity in other areas of collaboration as well. This includes the Asean-Japan Economic Co-Creation Forum, support for Palestinian reconstruction, and the Asia Zero Emission Community.
Economic cooperation, especially in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, is also expected to receive more attention going forward.
“In the Takaichi administration, one of the most important agendas is to build a robust economy in Japan,” he said.
To achieve those goals, Japan is trying to make strategic investments that enhance resilience against potential crises, such as in economic security, food security, energy security, health and medical security, and disaster management.
“Many of these overlap with the important agenda of the Asean meetings as well,” he said.