Newsletter No. 488
News-Analysis
January 20, 2007

 

The following reports come from Sandra R. Leavitt (Shingetsu Member No. 55). Leavitt is based at Georgetown University.

SECURITY PLAYS KEY ROLE IN ASEAN-JAPAN RELATIONS

Security cooperation, not free-trade initiatives, was the focus of ASEAN-Japan relations during the recent ASEAN+3 meetings in Cebu City, The Philippines.

As the ASEAN+3 meetings drew to a close, the Philippine government made a concerted effort to highlight the role of the international community in supporting the peace process in the southern Philippines where the majority of the country’s Muslims live. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto G. Romulo specifically thanked Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, China and South Korea for backing peace and development efforts.

Intra-Asian support for the Mindanao-Sulu region has included facilitation of peace talks, interfaith dialogues, humanitarian assistance, post-conflict aid, and economic development projects. Japan has been most active in providing humanitarian and economic-development assistance.

In conjunction, regional high-level ministers met in the ASEAN-Japan Ministerial Meeting where cooperation on regional security was stressed. Particular emphasis was placed on the ASEAN-Japan Counter-Terrorism Dialogue as a means to achieve peace and security. Agreements were made to expand counter-terrorism and maritime security cooperation, especially between Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan.

Since most governments in the region rely on performance legitimacy related to stability and economic growth, such multilateral efforts take on increased importance, especially given the transnational nature of these challenges.

NUCLEAR ENERGY INCREASINGLY ATTRACTIVE TO JAPAN AND INDONESIA

For a variety of reasons, Japan and Indonesia are increasing their reliance on nuclear energy, a trend that also is encompassing their economic competitors, China and India.

Indonesia has plans to build four 1,000-megawatt plants by 2016 at a cost of $8 billion. Candidate sites are on the Muria peninsula in central Java and in Gorontalo province on Sulawesi island. According to the Washington Post, Japan is currently building three more nuclear plants and is planning ten more in the next decade.

Several factors are leading more and more governments to consider nuclear energy as a viable energy alternative:

1) Burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming.

2) Competition for fossil fuels is steep as more and more countries industrialize, driving up prices and depleting known sources.

3) West Asia is expected to remain unstable for years, if not decades.

“The timing of the Kyoto Protocol coming into effect and the timing of China endeavoring in its mission to secure natural resources in the world coincide,” said Tadao Yanase, director of nuclear energy policy at Japan's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.

However, several key challenges remain, including:

1) Proliferation of nuclear material leading to security breaches and “dirty bombs” in the hands of terrorists.

2) Poor safety standards, especially in developing countries, leading to accidents like Chernobyl in 1986.

3) Seismic activity leading to natural disasters. This is particularly a concern in Indonesia, although much can be learned from Japan on this issue.

4) Waste disposal.

Efforts to manage risk and explore project viability are being led by Japan. Chief among them was a recent inaugural seminar hosted by Japan and the IAEA to discuss measures against nuclear terrorism in Asia. The Seventh Ministerial Meeting Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia has also endorsed a new study on cooperation in nuclear energy in Asia.