Newsletter No. 568
News-Analysis
April 2, 2007

 

The following newsletter has been contributed by Sandra R. Leavitt (Shingetsu Member No. 55) of Georgetown University.

JAPAN-BRUNEI FRIENDSHIP PROGRAM FOLLOWED BY SECURITY ENGAGEMENT

High-Level Bruneians Visit Japan

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) hosted an array of officials and industry leaders from Brunei March 9-13 as part of its Japan-Brunei Friendship Program. According to MOFA, the purpose of the program is to deepen understanding between the people of the two countries. All visits appeared to take place at the elite level, incorporating leaders from government and industry.

A central participant was Awg Haji Mohd Jaafar bin Haji Awang Bakar, CEO of Petroleum Brunei. He visited Mr. Masayoshi Hamada, Vice-Minister of MOFA in Tokyo, as well as other high-level government officials. Haji Mohd Jaafar paid a courtesy call to Dr. Mamoru Mori, director of Japan’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. Dr. Mori presented a lecture in Brunei last year. Haji Mohd Jaafar’s other activities included taking part in briefings at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization.

Haji Mohd Jaafar’s visit to the Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company in Niigata was of particular interest. Petroleum Brunei, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, and Itochu Corporation are partners in the joint venture corporation Brunei Methanol Company (BMC) focused on methanol production. BMC has been developing a methanol plant in Brunei’s Sungai Liang Industrial Area and expects completion by the end of 2009. According to the Borneo Bulletin, the plant will make Brunei one of the largest methanol producing and exporting countries in Asia, increase employment opportunities, and encourage industrialization and technology transfer.

Japanese Culture Promoted in Brunei

These high-level visits to Japan were followed by public exhibits in Brunei about Japanese culture from March 14-18. The exhibits formed the core of the Japanese Language and Culture Week held at Universiti Brunei Darussalam and sponsored by the Embassy of Japan, the Japanese Association Brunei Darussalam and the Brunei-Japan Friendship Association. Activities and exhibits included movie screenings, tea ceremonies, and demonstrations of Kendo, calligraphy, sushi, and ikebana.

JMSDF Destroyers Visit Brunei

Two Japanese destroyers, the Setogiri and the Hatakaze, have been berthed in Brunei for a week-long “goodwill tour and training course,” according to the Brunei Times. The ships, housing 350 crew members, were open to the public March 31 and April 1. They will depart Brunei on April 3. Approximately 30 Japanese trainee officers will visit the Royal Brunei Navy and tourist sites around the sultanate.

JMSDF ships and personnel have periodically visited Brunei in an effort to “enhance mutual cooperation and strengthen relations” between the militaries of the two countries.