Wihardja, Kitti, and Tan’s exchange took place concurrently as an installment of the Asia Undercurrent webinar series (see column, below) sponsored by the Japanese government and Nikkei and as a Future of Asia session. Their discussion of ASEAN-Japanese exchange was under the overall theme of “Asian Prosperity Fostered by Human Exchange.” All three of the participants studied for extended periods in Japan and drew on that experience in their remarks.

Koga invited the participants to recount their personal experience in Japan and to share their views on people-to-people relations between Southeast Asia and Japan. Wihardja kicked things off with a strategic perspective on human exchange.

“Japan’s soft power and influence in Southeast Asia is underpinned by people-to-people connections. That includes exchange programs, human capital development, technology transfers, popular culture, and tourism. Last year, I was given the opportunity to study in Japan for three months at the Japan Center for Economic Research as the Nikkei Asia Scholar. At the center, I studied the impacts of sociocultural factors, labor market reforms, and ASEAN-Japanese cooperation on Japan’s digital transformation.

“ASEAN and Japan, in my view, are taking the right steps in redefining their relationship. Nearly 50 years ago, Japan’s then prime minister Takeo Fukuda posited ‘heart-to-heart’ ties as the foundation of ASEAN-Japanese relations. And the foundation of heart-to-heart ties is people-to-people connections. I perceive three main reasons for redefining ASEAN-Japanese relations.

“First, how Japan shapes its grand strategy amid mounting geopolitical tensions could affect its relationship with ASEAN. Japan has made a series of incremental security reforms, including the decision to double military spending as a percentage of GDP by 2027. Meanwhile, US and Japanese strategic interests may not always align in regard to managing the rise of China, and that could complicate Japan’s relations with ASEAN.

“Second, the differential in economic power between ASEAN and Japan has changed as ASEAN has gained economic heft. Japan’s per capita GDP was 20 times that of Indonesia and 40 times that of Vietnam in the 1970s and 1980s. But the multiple now is only about 10 times for both countries. Singapore’s per capita GDP has surpassed that of Japan, where the per capita GDP is now less than half that of Singapore. Goldman Sachs predicts that Indonesia will surpass Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2050. Our relationship therefore needs to shift from its patron-client, donor-recipient mindset to one of symbiosis and equality.

“Third, ASEAN and Japan have mutually beneficial complementarities and common challenges. But we are also distinctively different in several areas. Japan has an aging population, whereas ASEAN features a youthful demographic. Japan has a highly homogeneous population, whereas ASEAN has an extremely diverse society.”

Wihardja opined that increased labor mobility would help capitalize on ASEAN-Japanese complementarity. But she acknowledged that the weak yen diminishes Japan’s appeal as a workplace for individuals from ASEAN members.”

Tan, too, expressed heartfelt appreciation for the goodwill she experienced in Japan, but she also voiced concern about what she perceives as an imbalance in ASEAN-Japanese relations. “I was in Japan for a year as an exchange student, also at Keio University. A reason that I chose Japan as a study destination was Malaysia’s Look East policy, which then president Mahathir launched in the 1980s. The inspiration behind that policy is admiration of Japan for its strong economy, high standard of living, work ethic, quality education, the list goes on.

“A few years later, I came back as a visiting research fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs. I spent three months here, traveling all around Japan, getting updated here about the strategic situation of the country. Throughout that experience, the Japanese were incredibly warm and giving. People were generous not only with their knowledge but with their time, and some of my friends have even hosted me in their homes. But I have to admit that I also experienced frustration during my time here.

“I got the feeling that my role as a Southeast Asian was to be a sponge, to simply absorb information and insights. Rarely did I receive any questions about what is happening in my country or region or about what my perspective might be. Whenever I spoke to people, especially young people, I found that understanding of Southeast Asia is outdated. Some of the imagination of Southeast Asia is from 20 years ago. People don’t realize how much South East Asia has developed. Our digital transformation in the past five years has accelerated to such a pace that it could quickly rival or even outpace Japan’s. Few realize that Southeast Asia is poised to become the world’s largest financial technology market, much sooner than you might think.

“We mustn’t take our ASEAN-Japanese friendship for granted. Otherwise, we risk losing something precious. A good way to help redress the imbalance in mutual understanding would be to foster interest in Southeast Asia among Japanese young people. I hope to see more Japanese study in Southeast Asia.”