RI to help integrate East Asia: Japan FM

  Jakarta   |  Tue, 10/13/2009 9:13 PM  |  World

Japan will involve Indonesia in its bid to realize the East Asia Community that will bring it closer to its major rivals China and South Korea.

After a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda, visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Tokyo would like to discuss further the concept of the East Asia Community with Jakarta, which he said “has boasted mature democracy and firm economy in the recent years”.

“Indonesia is an important partner for Japan in effort to bring about integration in East Asia. Indonesia plays an important role in ASEAN. Japan would like to have a dialogue with Indonesia about the details of establishing the East Asian Community,” Okada said through an interpreter.

ASEAN leaders have managed to bring Japan, China and South Korea under one umbrella – the ASEAN+3 – after decades of prolonged historic hostilities among the three. The new concept of an East Asian Community, launched under the month-old government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, has drawn mixed responses, with critics saying it would rival similar regional groupings such as ASEAN.

source:thejakartapost.com