[Title] Press Conference by Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio on the ASEAN-related Summit Meetings and Other Matters

(On the outcomes of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-related summit meetings and on what message Prime Minister Kishida intends to send out at the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit in December)

First of all, I believe that ASEAN, the growth center of the world, and Japan strengthening their cooperation and partnership at an altogether different level has great significance for the peace and prosperity of the world, which finds itself at a turning point, and I have been appealing to the other leaders about this. We have been making various efforts in this regard based on that approach and I feel that we succeeded in putting that kind of thinking into concrete shape, as one of the outcomes of this meeting.

As the first point, we upgraded the relationship between Japan and ASEAN, which spans 50 years, to a comprehensive, strategic partnership. Then, as the second point, Japan announced the Japan-ASEAN Comprehensive Connectivity Initiative. Moreover, Japan clearly stated its support for the mainstreaming of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) that ASEAN is promoting. Grounded in that clarification, we confirmed our intention to realize cooperation in which the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) advocated by Japan and the AOIP promoted by ASEAN demonstrate synergistic effects.

As for the lead-up to the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit in December, I very much hope that we clearly set out a new cooperative vision at that December meeting. I would like our efforts to lead to releasing a new vision confirming our cooperation to bring about a free and open international order based on the rule of law and then vigorously sending out a message towards that end to the international community.