Editorial: Cooperating with ASEAN to build out legal infrastructure

July 31 , 2023

On July 6, the ASEAN-Japan Special Meeting of Justice Ministers was held in Tokyo to “promote fundamental values such as the rule of law and respect for human rights in the international community” under the Japanese Ministry of Justice’s “Justice Affairs Diplomacy” initiative. The meeting was held in the hope that cooperation in judiciary matters between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will progress to an even higher level. With a combined population of some 650 million people in ten countries, ASEAN has achieved rapid economic gains in recent years and is seen by the international community as a growth center open to the world. As such, laying out the legal infrastructure based on the rule of law will not only facilitate the association’s trade and commerce with other countries, it will also ensure greater political stability of its member-nations. The path forward, however, has not been smooth. Vietnam, for instance, needs a major overhaul of its socialist-era economy and relevant laws and regulations as it transitions to a free market economy. The United Nations and other international agencies as well as developed countries are all pitching in to develop civil laws to govern private-sector interactivity. Japan ranks among the most supportive of Vietnam, striving to assist in the latter’s efforts to improve its legal system on its own. The cooperation contrasts with the US and European influence on other ASEAN countries that date back to the 19th-century colonial era, which have resulted in a myriad of complications that lingers to this day. While the Japanese government has worked with ASEAN members to foster a generation of competent attorneys, Komeito maintains that more must be done, particularly in developing human resources who are qualified to protect and sustain the local adjudication process. This year marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation relations. With Komeito sending a delegation to the association in August, our hope is that Japan will work even closer with its ten member-states to forge stronger ties and build the legal infrastructure for all to prosper even further in the years ahead.