By Nur Athirah Mohd Shaharuddin & Mikhail Raj Abdullah
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- A Japanese professor in international relations has called for the reinvigoration of ASEAN-led institutions to help ease tensions arising from great power rivalry and territorial disputes, stressing that such efforts are essential to stabilising the regional balance of power.
Professor Takeshi Yuzawa of Hosei University noted that frameworks such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), and the East Asia Summit (EAS) remain crucial as they bring together all major powers for dialogue and cooperation.
He underscored that Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) are mutually reinforcing frameworks that promote openness, transparency and respect for international law.
He said these principles are vital amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, where ASEAN unity and closer Japan-ASEAN collaboration can help preserve peace, security and economic stability.
Delve further into Yuzawa’s views on ASEAN’s evolving regional role in a recent interview with BERNAMA.
FOIP and AOIP as Guiding Principles
It was imperative for these institutions and their members to engage in dialogue and adhere to Japan's FOIP and AOIP strategies on openness, transparency, and respect for international law, as well as promoting peace and stability through economic growth, he said.
He alluded to the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits to be hosted by Malaysia this week as presenting a valuable opportunity for countries to further embrace FOIP and AOIP in international diplomatic relations.
This was more so since Japan’s FOIP and AOIP concepts were mutually reinforcing frameworks for a rules-based regional and international order, made all the more crucial against a backdrop of rising geopolitical tension.
According to a survey this year undertaken by a leading regional socio-political, security and economic trends research centre, Japan consistently emerged as the most trusted nation among major powers, including the United States, European Union (EU), China and India.
Reinvigorating ASEAN-Led Institutions
Yuzawa said ASEAN-led institutions that should be reinvigorated include the ARF, the ADMM-Plus and the EAS.
“These are the only regional frameworks that include all of the great powers," he said.
Superpowers – the US, Russia and China – would attend the landmark 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits to be hosted by Malaysia here.
Yuzawa, who is from Hosei University’s Faculty of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies, said the need to reinvigorate these institutions was all the more crucial as the Indo-Pacific region, comprising countries in East, Southeast, South Asia, and Oceania, was increasingly experiencing geopolitical tension.
As a vital part of this region, Japan is stepping up security cooperation with ASEAN so that the Indo-Pacific region does not devolve into greater unpredictability and instability.
Maritime Disputes and Regional Security
This is crucial in view of recent unsavoury events, whereby just recently, China and the Philippines were again embroiled in maritime skirmishes; and a major armed conflict erupted over a border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand last July; while India and Pakistan were involved in a military conflict in May this year, which lasted four days.
He said the escalation of the South China Sea territorial disputes was the driving force for Japan-ASEAN security cooperation.
Japan views these incidents as a serious challenge to its national security, over concerns that they could disrupt its regional sea lines of communication, spread to the East China Sea and affect the rules-based maritime order, thereby eroding the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Unified ASEAN Voice and Collective Action
He said there was no denying that smaller states constantly fear the coercive use of military and economic might by larger states.
With such tensions, Yuzawa said it was imperative for Southeast Asian states and their dialogue partners to address these issues, bearing in mind the principles for peace and stability envisioned under FOIP and AOIP.
Moreover, ASEAN should present a more unified and collective stance and voice criticisms against actions that undermine existing international laws in the Indo-Pacific, he said.
“The fate of the region is not solely dependent on the policy directions of the US and China as it also hinges on the ability of other regional countries to act collectively to endure or even deter ‘several cycles of destabilising crises’ that may arise from great power competitions,” said Yuzawa.
Strengthening Deterrence and Cooperation
Japan and ASEAN should strive to strategically utilise their limited resources to bolster "asymmetrical deterrence capabilities” to hedge against coercive military actions and thereby contribute to a stable regional balance of power.”
He said Japan also needs to increase funding for Official Security Assistance (OSA) and more actively and flexibly use defence transfer initiatives.
“For ASEAN states, this is not about choosing sides between the US, Japan, or China. It is about protecting their own autonomy and more broadly, establishing a regional order that is favourable to smaller countries,” he said.
Expanding Security and Defence Collaboration
Currently, Japan and ASEAN collaborate across virtually all major security domains, including traditional defence exercises, maritime security, including coast guard capacity-building, and non-traditional security areas such as disaster relief and cybersecurity.
As part of this cooperation, Japan has so far given Malaysia two offshore patrol vessels, seven rescue boats, and 14 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones for the Malaysian Armed Forces.
Supporting ASEAN Centrality
He said Japan’s FOIP includes the significance of inclusiveness and supports ASEAN centrality, while AOIP’s priority areas of cooperation such as maritime cooperation, connectivity, sustainable development and economic cooperation were all areas that Tokyo was already strongly engaging in.
-- BERNAMA
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