Two days after the mass resignation of ministers involved in a fundraising scandal, on 13-14 December 2023, an event that caused Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s popularity rating to plummet below 20 per cent and cause political turmoil, the Japanese leader hosted a special Japan Aswan summit on 16-18 December, commemorating the 50th year of Japan-Asean Friendship and Cooperation.

Kishida was supported by Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa who had retained her job having taken over in September 2023. While Kishida hailed the next 50 years of Japan-Asean relations, Kamikawa highlighted women’s role in conflict prevention at the Tokyo summit. Though the economic component in Japan’s ties with the Asean bloc has been constant, there is a security dimension, in particular maritime security, that has taken centre stage.

The Asean group is very different from, for example, the European Union which is more monolithic. As members of the group, they hold a diverse range of views on geopolitical matters and do not view China’s belligerence from the same prism. Some members such as Cambodia and Myanmar (the latter was not invited to the summit because of the coup in February 2021) are perceived to be beholden to China for its economic support to these countries.

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This has not deterred the group in general from choosing a friendly approach towards Japan. In fact, Japan is the region’s most trusted and familiar outside partner. Japan has won the hearts and minds of Southeast Asians through cultural exchanges, official development assistance, foreign direct investment and soft power. These aspects make the special Japan-Asean summit significant. Japan pledged to provide $170 million in financial assistance to Cambodia to improve rural healthcare and various development projects, while both countries pledged to consolidate........

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