ASEAN and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the 41st ASEAN-Japan Forum in Singapore. The meeting reviewed progress on existing initiatives and identified priority areas for future cooperation in support of regional peace, stability, and sustainable development.
ASEAN and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) during the 41st ASEAN-Japan Forum held in Singapore. The meeting underscored the shared commitment of both sides to promoting regional peace, stability, and prosperity while supporting the implementation of ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future.
The forum brought together senior officials from ASEAN Member States and Japan to review the progress of bilateral cooperation and discuss priorities for future collaboration. The meeting was co-chaired by Singapore’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Albert Chua, and Japan’s Senior Deputy Foreign Minister, Namazu Hiroyuki, and was attended by the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Political-Security Community and their respective delegations.
Source: The ASEAN Secretariat
Participants welcomed the continued momentum of ASEAN-Japan relations following the 28th ASEAN-Japan Summit in 2025 and noted the steady implementation of the Joint Vision Statement on ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation – Trusted Partners and its accompanying Implementation Plan. To date, approximately 81 per cent of the action lines under the plan have been addressed through various programmes, activities, and projects.
ASEAN expressed appreciation for Japan’s continued support for ASEAN Centrality and ASEAN Community-building efforts. Japan reaffirmed its full support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), noting its shared principles with Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision, and reiterated its commitment to advancing the implementation of the Joint Statement adopted at the 28th ASEAN-Japan Summit.
The forum also identified key areas for expanded cooperation, including trade and investment through the possible upgrading of the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP) Agreement, digital transformation, energy transition, food security, connectivity, cybersecurity, maritime cooperation, climate change, disaster management, human resource development, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people connectivity. These efforts were recognised as contributing to the realisation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
The meeting further provided an opportunity for ASEAN and Japan to exchange views on regional and international developments of mutual interest. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining an open, inclusive, transparent, and rules-based regional architecture with ASEAN at its centre, while underscoring the value of dialogue, cooperation, and adherence to international law in addressing regional and global challenges.
Source: The ASEAN Secretariat
