Japan and Southeast Asia agreed to tighten security and economic ties yesterday, a day after Tokyo, seeking to counter China's influence in the region, said it would start free-trade talks with Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Japan's concern about its role in fast-growing Southeast Asia has grown since last year, when Bei-jing signed a pact setting a framework for talks on free-trade agreements (FTAs) with the 10-member ASEAN.
On the final day of a two-day leaders' summit, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and ASEAN leaders signed documents pledging increased cooperation across a wide range of areas.
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi also signed a document indicating Japan's intention to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia, a 1976 non-aggression pact that China and India agreed to sign in October.
Despite the documents, analysts said the two-day summit was basically a chance to court Southeast Asia by emphasizing Japan's long history of friendship -- and generous financial aid -- in the face of China's advances in the region.
"I think all of it, including signing the TAC, is Koizumi's way of showing the ASEAN countries that Japan is treating them well, out of concern about China's influence," said Hisao Iwashima, a diplomatic commentator.
"In particular, China's efforts to help realize talks on North Korea's nuclear program have really raised its profile, and I believe the government is very aware of this."
Business groups applauded the decision to start FTA talks with Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, hailing it as a crucial step towards a trade pact with ASEAN as a whole. Talks are expected to start early next year, and Japanese officials said they hoped deals could be sealed by the start of 2005, when Tokyo wants to start talks on an ASEAN-wide pact.
Statements issued after the decisions were announced set no deadlines, saying only they hoped agreement could be reached "within a reasonable period of time."
China and ASEAN aim to finalize their free-trade zone by 2010.
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