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Led by Mr. Richard Albert I. Osmond, Chairman of the Philippines-Japan Economic Cooperation Committee, Inc., PHILJEC delegates attended the 50th ASEAN-Japan Business Meeting (AJBM) held at The Okura Prestige in Bangkok, Thailand from November 6 to 8, 2024. This event marked a historic milestone in the partnership between ASEAN member countries and Japan. Under the theme “Building Resilient Partnerships for Sustainable Futures,” the meeting brought together prominent business leaders, and industry experts to engage in meaningful discussions and debates to explore critical issues affecting the region.
November 6 was reserved for the Steering Committee Meeting, and Welcome Reception for the Steering Committee Members which was held at the Hard Rock Café, Bangkok. The evening started with greetings and toast from Mr. Kalin Sarasin, the 50th AJBM Chairman and Honorary Chairman of the Thailand Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand. This was followed by a presentation on “Geopolitical Trends surrounding ASEAN and Japan’s Investment towards ASEAN” by Mr. SHIBATA Soichiro, Director of the Monitor Deloitte.
The conference officially began on November 7, with welcoming remarks from Mr. Sarasin. Subsequent remarks were delivered by Mr. HIRAKO Yuji, 50th AJBM Co-Chairman and Co-Chairperson of Japan-Asia Relations Committee of Keizai Doyukai; Mr. MIKE Kanetsugu, Vice Chairperson of Keizai Doyukai and Member of the Board of Directors, Chairman of MUFG; and H. E. OTAKA Masato, Ambassador of Japan to Thailand.
H. E. Mr. Akanat Promphan, Minister of Industry of Thailand delivered the keynote speech on “Strengthening ASEAN-Japan Cooperation for Economic Stability and Sustainability in the Digital Age.” This was followed by a presentation on “Strategic Partnerships: Exploring ASEAN-Japan Relations in a Dynamic Global Context” by Dr. Somkiat Tangkitvanich, President of Thailand Development Research Institute.
The first panel discussion moderated by Mr. Muhaymin Khan, Manager of YCP focused on Food Security. This panel addressed the urgent need for action to prevent food shortages in ASEAN nations. Panelists included:
- Dr. Poj Aramwattananont, President & CEO, SeaValue Public Company Limited
- Mr. SAKAKURA Ichiro, President, Ajinomoto Thailand
- Mr. Salman Ghazali, Group Chief Strategy Officer, FGV Holdings Berhad
Shortly after the lunch break, the second panel discussion focusing on Tourism commenced. Moderated by Ms. Fei Yong, Manager of YCP, this panel highlighted the role of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles in preserving the tourism value chain. Panelists included:
- Mrs. Suphajee Suthumpun, Group CEO, Dusit International
- Mr. KITAGAWA Hiroyuki, President & CEO, JTB PTE Ltd.
- Mr. KANDA Shinya, President & CEO of ANA X
- Mr. Joydeep Chakraborty, Chief Strategy Officer, Traveloka
A brief discussion on Food Culture in Tourism followed, led by Associate Professor Jutamas Wisansing, PhD, Managing Director & Consultant at Perfect Link Consulting Group and Mr. Matthew John Knights, Chief Hospitality Group Officer, Asset World Corporation.
The third panel discussion focused on Mobility and was moderated by Mr. Nuttapan Meethong, Director of YCP. The panel addressed the growing challenge of air pollution and its impact on public health and urban living. Panelists included:
- Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok
- Mr. Prasanna Kumar Ganesh, Executive Vice President, Toyota Motor Asia
- Mr. Yew Heng Lim, Group Managing Director, Grab Holdings
Following this, Keizai Doyukai and Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) presented on HR Platform. Speakers for this session are:
- Mr. HIRAKO Yuji, Co-Chairperson, Japan-Asia Relations Committee, Keizai Doyukai and Senior Advisor, ANA Holdings, Inc.
- Mr. AIZAWA Nobuhiro, Dean and Managing Director, ERIA’s School of Government
- Mr. WATANABE Kazufumi, Group CXO, Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, SOMPO Holdings, Inc.
H. E. KIYA Masahiko, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN served as respondent.
The conference concluded with closing remarks from Mr. IMAI Seiji, Co-Chairperson of Japan-Asia Relations Committee of Keizai Doyukai and Chairman, Member of the Board of Directors of Mizuho Financial Group.
Several Thai and Japanese media were invited to a press conference after the meeting.
Discussions are compiled into a whitepaper which can be accessed through the link below.
Links:
On August 29, 2024, the President of The Japan Foundation, Mr. KUROSAWA Shinya, visited the Nihongo Center Foundation, Inc. (NCF) in Makati City. He was accompanied by Mr. SUZUKI Ben, Country Director of Japan Foundation Manila. Mr. Francis C. Laurel, NCF Chairman, Mr. Philip B. Sanvictores, President, and Mr. Kenjiro Ogata, Academic Advisor welcomed Mr. Kurosawa.
Mr. Laurel first showed Mr. Kurosawa the memorabilia of Ambassador Jose S. Laurel III, founder of The Philippines-Japan Society, including all its affiliate organizations, including NCF.
Then, Mr. Kurosawa met with NCF Management to discuss challenges in Japanese language learning. They also exchanged ideas on areas improvement as well as opportunities for expanding Nihongo learning in the country. Given the current state of Japanese language education in the Philippines, the meeting highlighted the need for teacher training in the country to address the perennial shortage of qualified Filipino teachers of the Japanese language.
Mr. Kurosawa also met with some members of the NCF Faculty, including former Japan Foundation Grantees for Short-Term and Long-Term Teaching Training Program at JF Urawa. The teachers took turns introducing themselves and engaging in casual conversations wherein Mr. Kurosawa also shared his previous professional experiences in the Philippines.
On September 28, 2024, the Samahan ng mga Pilipinong Nag-Aral at Nanirahan sa Nippon[1] (SAPILNIP) hosted its inaugural “Nantoku Lecture Series” at the Philippines-Japan Friendship Foundation in Makati City. The lecture was conducted by, Dr. Karl Ian Uy Cheng Chua, Ph.D. a recognized scholar on Asian and Japanese history who delivered a thought-provoking presentation entitled “Aspiring for Meiji Paradise: Philippine Revolutionary Perceptions and Japanese Escape – Turn of the 19th Century Filipino-Japanese Interactions.”
The ”Nantoku Lectures” is an initiative of SAPILNIP spearheaded by descendants of wartime Filipino pensionados to Japan (1943-1945) who were known as the Nanpo Tokubetsu Ryugakusei 南方特別留学生 translated as Special Students from the Southern Areas (“Nantoku” for short). Todate, 45 descendants of the 50 original Filipino Nantoku have established contact with each other (both in person and online), sharing a deep-seated desire to exchange narratives of their fathers and hopefully gain understanding of the historical context, purpose and lifelong relevance of their education in Japan. Indeed, having founded both the Philippine Federation of Japan Alumni (PHILFEJA) and the ASEAN Council of Japan Alumni (ASCOJA), the lives and character of the Nantoku from the Philippines and other Japan-occupied territories in Southeast Asia must have been significantly shaped by their shared experience as foreign students in Japan, albeit under wartime conditions.
Framed along the concept of “Filipino-Japanese Interpersonal Encounters”, Dr. Chua’s lecture delved into major socioeconomic and geopolitical shifts resulting from the vaunted Meiji Restoration beginning 1868. He traced how the the Meiji era successfully cultivated an image of modernization and progress that appealed to many Filipinos, particularly those seeking refuge and opportunity during the turbulent period of their own struggle for independence from Spanish rule. Dr. Chua also challenged the romanticized image of Japan, unveiling how the so-called “monolithic Meiji myth” misled Filipinos at the turn of the century, with hopes of also achieving Japan’s prosperity and political alignment away from its colonial moorings.
Dr. Chua further examined the ‘Myth of Modernity’ associated with Japan’s image as a beacon of progress during the Philippine struggle for independence, which juxtaposed the Japanese diaspora of that period. By placing these experiences within a broader historical context, Dr. Chua highlighted the global socio-political dynamics that shaped Filipino perceptions of Japan and Japanese migration to the Americas, Hawaii and the Philippines. He also drew parallels between the historical struggles of these early migrants and the ongoing challenges faced by contemporary overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Corollarily, Filipino revolutionaries and anti-West activists, overwhelmed and sidelined by the superior strengths of subsequent Spanish and American colonialists sought alliances among like-minded Japanese advocates which in hindsight proved illusionary. While there were not a few Japanese sympathizers to the Filipinos’ cause, official Japan could only extend nominal, covert support so as not to antagonize American and European powers in Asia at the turn of the 19th century.
Dr. Chua did not miss to highlight the extended stay in Japan of Dr. Jose P. Rizal who was enchanted by its beautiful land, culture, language and the traditional civility of its people. He also did not forget the Philippine hero’s brief dalliance with Usui Seiko, whose grave is marked in a cemetery in Ikebukuro.
Dr. Chua also touched on the migration of Japanese laborers who helped construct the monumental Kennon Road from La Union to Baguio (1903-1905). Subsequently, those Japanese either migrated to the United States or Davao occasioned by the rise of a fledgling abaca industry.
Following Dr. Chua’s lecture, a Q&A session ensued where attendees engaged in lively discussions on the relevance of historical narratives in understanding contemporary Filipino- Japanese relations. Many expressed a keen interest in how these historical events continue to shape the experiences of Filipinos living and working in Japan and perhaps even in the future.
The Lecture on ‘Aspiring for Meiji Paradise’ kicks off a series of talks and lectures leading up to the 50th Anniversary of PHILFEJA and the 70th year of the Normalization of Philippines-Japan Diplomatic Relations, both of which will be commemorated in 2026. The lecture series aims to highlight significant historical narratives on interpersonal encounters of Filipinos and Japanese that can shed light of sundry snapshots of interesting events considered minor historical footnotes, but which can bring into sharper focus the deep roots of cordial relations between the two peoples. It is hoped that the lectures will contribute to the cultivation of deeper understanding and appreciation of sociopolitical dynamics that continue to shape bilateral relations today and beyond.
[1] Association of Filipinos Who Studied and Lived in Japan / 日本留学・在留フィリピン協会
Dr. Karl Ian Uy Cheng Chua is a professorial lecturer at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines. He teaches a wide range of topics on Japan and Asia at both the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University, where he served as Director of the Japanese Studies Program from 2013 to 2020. He obtained his AB Interdisciplinary Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University (2001), Masters in Japanese Studies (2005) and Ph.D. Social Sciences (2010) from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo.
References:
Dr. Chua’s Paper
Presentation
Photos
