ASEAN and Japan have buit up comprehensive and dynamic ties across all fields, from politics, security, economy, trade, investment, culture to society and development cooperation.
Japan has deeply engaged in political-security cooperation processes in the region and supported the bloc's solidarity, unity and centrality.
Both sides have formulated diverse economic cooperation mechanisms and frameworks, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP).
Japan has been an active contributor to the Innitiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and assisted ASEAN in narrowing development gap.
Last year, Japan was ASEAN's 4th largest trading partner with the two-way trade of US$268.5 billion, second largest investor with Japan's investment flows to ASEAN totalling US$26.7 billion, an increase of US$27.7 percent from 2021.
Amid complicated and unpredictable changes in the region and the world, both ASEAN and Japan wish to push forward cooperation to cope with common challenges and promote development./.