By The Straits Times | Created at 2025-01-11 21:05:39 | Updated at 2025-01-12 01:57:03
4 hours ago
TOKYO/JAKARTA – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, on a four-day visit to Malaysia and Indonesia ending Jan 12, sought to deepen military, economic and energy security ties as China’s influence in South-east Asia loomed large.
The significance that he chose these countries as his first destinations for bilateral summits since taking office in October 2024 was not lost on many, given that there are signs that both are deepening their ties with Beijing.
Speaking to reporters with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto beside him, Mr Ishiba himself alluded to this on Jan 11: “The international situation is becoming more complex and uncertain.
“Nevertheless, South-east Asia remains the centre of global growth with stable economic development, so enhancing collaboration in this region is a priority for Japanese diplomacy.”
He had made a similar point in Malaysia on Jan 10, alongside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Malaysia chairs the Asean grouping for 2025, while Indonesia is home to the 10-member bloc’s largest population and economy.
Both countries are also strategically located along the Strait of Malacca, through which many cargo shipments pass through en route to Japan, making them pivotal to ensuring the freedom of the seas in Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision.
Dr Taizo Miyagi of Chuo University told The Straits Times that while the relationship that Japan has built with Asean since the end of World War II has been a “great asset for its diplomacy”, Japan’s presence in the region has inevitably weakened relative to China’s.
Choosing to visit Asean first – as had former prime ministers Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga – sends the message of Japan’s commitment to the region’s growth and future, he added.
Mr Ishiba agreed to grow security ties with both countries, including through joint military exercises and Japan’s Official Security Assistance scheme, which provides military equipment to like-minded nations with Malaysia receiving warning and surveillance systems and Indonesia, high-speed patrol boats.
Yet, Malaysia and Indonesia are also Muslim-majority countries that have been disenchanted by the perceived “double standards” of the West’s response to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Japan is in a unique position as an Asian country, even if it is a security ally of the US and part of the Group of Seven bloc of advanced democracies, experts said, noting that its approach towards engaging Asean and the Global South is seen as benign, benevolent and practical.
This is in comparison with the muscular militarism of the US or the showy economic mega projects of China, and has paid off as regional surveys reflect high levels of trust in Japan.
Over his two-leg tour, Mr Ishiba highlighted the efforts that Japan has been making for Palestine.
For one thing, Japan had in 2013 co-founded with Palestine the Conference On Cooperation Among East Asian Countries For Palestinian Development (Ceapad), a mechanism which also involves South Korea and all Asean member states except Myanmar.
Datuk Seri Anwar told reporters on Jan 10 that Malaysia will co-chair with Japan a Ceapad ministerial meeting in July, to discuss “essentially the issue of reconstruction of Gaza and Palestine, which is very meaningful to us in Malaysia and many countries in the world”.
But Malaysia and Indonesia are also part of the expanding orbit of the Brics grouping of developing countries. Malaysia is a partner country, while Indonesia was admitted as the 10th full member on Jan 6.
Ms Asuka Tatebayashi, a senior analyst in Mizuho Bank’s global strategic advisory department, told ST that Japan was justifiably concerned by Malaysia’s and Indonesia’s affiliation with Brics, given that it includes countries that are viewed as threats to the rules-based order, such as Russia and China.
“Japan sees Brics as sort of a benchmark of where each country stands in the international order, and how they see their relationship with the US,” she said.
On the other hand, she said, Malaysia and Indonesia are hedging. Indonesia may be a member of Brics, but is also seeking to join the Western-led Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development with Japan’s support.
“Countries are joining the group not necessarily because they are attracted to the Chinese model, but because they want alternatives,” she concluded.
Geopolitical competition was also on Mr Prabowo’s mind when he said on Jan 11: “Indonesia has a desire to maintain good relations with all countries in the world, all economic blocs.
“We want to maintain close relations so that we can contribute to a situation that can reduce tensions between big countries.”
Japan respects and recognises Asean’s emphasis on balance in foreign policy, said Professor Heng Yee Kuang of the Graduate School of Public Policy at The University of Tokyo, adding that Tokyo would not exert pressure on countries to take sides.
But Japan demonstrates its presence through its consistent “engagement with each country individually, tailored to their own needs and concerns”, he said.
Prof Heng pointed to such initiatives as the Asia Zero Emission Community which, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, promotes pathways to net-zero carbon emissions based on an individual country’s needs and circumstances.
Malaysia and Indonesia are both major energy suppliers for Japan, which is working with them on decarbonisation projects. Mr Anwar noted how the state of Sarawak is spearheading a major hydrogen project with Japanese companies.
In Malaysia, Mr Ishiba cited Mr Anwar’s “Madani” policy of sustainability, innovation and prosperity, as they agreed to cooperate in sectors such as semiconductors and aircraft parts, and developing rare earth resources.
And in Indonesia, Mr Ishiba agreed to help Mr Prabowo achieve his pet cause of improving child nutrition and alleviating poverty, through Japan’s school meals system known as kyushoku (free school lunches), which is planned by nutritionists.
Despite these outcomes, Indonesian experts told ST that China was the elephant in the room during Mr Ishiba’s visit.
Dr Dinna Prapto Raharja of Bina Nusantara University described Japan’s security cooperation as a “soft approach (that) handles technical and practical issues faced daily by sailors, military officers and the people on islands near the strategic waterway, instead of confrontation against China”.
Professor Hikmahanto Juwana of the University of Indonesia noted how China was Mr Prabowo’s first overseas bilateral stop as president.
In Beijing, Mr Prabowo had said that both sides “reached an important mutual understanding on joint development in areas of overlapping claims”, raising concerns from regional diplomats and experts given that Indonesia is a non-claimant state in the disputed South China Sea.
“Japan is very concerned that Indonesia falls into China’s embrace, so it makes various efforts to make sure Indonesia implements its free-and-active foreign policy,” Prof Hikmahanto said, referring to Indonesia’s stance to maintain its autonomy and avoid involvement in power rivalries.
- Walter Sim is Japan correspondent at The Straits Times. Based in Tokyo, he writes about political, economic and socio-cultural issues.
- Linda Yulisman is Indonesia correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers business, politics, social affairs and the environment.
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
