Post-Summit Evaluation: The United States, Japan and Southeast Asia

ASEAN heads of states and JapanPrime Minster Shinzo Abe holding hands as a symbol of unity at the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos on September 7, 2016. KING RODRIGUEZ/PPD

On November 15, Sasakawa USA hosted a public panel discussion immediately following President Trump’s trip to Asia and three major summits: the U.S.-ASEAN Summit and East Asian Summit in the Philippines and the APEC Summit in Vietnam. The event, “Post-Summit Evaluation: The United States, Japan, and Southeast Asia,” was the third installment in Sasakawa USA’s Views of Japan series.

The United States and Japan both have a large economic stake in maintaining strong relations with ASEAN, which boast a population of 630 million with a growing middle class. The region creates over half a million jobs in the United States, while “ASEAN-6” accounts for more than half of Japanese FDI in Asia. Cooperation with ASEAN is also key to counter-terrorism and maritime security efforts, namely in the defense of a rules-based order and respect for international law in the South China Sea.

During the panel discussion, five knowledgeable experts evaluated the summit results in the context of current U.S. and Japanese policies toward ASEAN. Held as part of Sasakawa USA’s Views of Japan Series, the panel zoomed in on the Philippines and Vietnam to explore their expectations for the United States, Japan and the U.S.-Japan alliance.

The event provided an opportunity to re-examine U.S. and Japanese goals and priorities toward ASEAN, and identified opportunities and challenges to strengthen U.S. and Japan’s engagement in the region.

Click here to view the full agenda with speaker bios.

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Agenda

3:00 pm | Registration
3:30 pm | Welcome and Introduction
3:35 pm | Panel Presentation and Discussion
4:35 pm | Audience Q&A
5:00 pm | Adjourn

Participants

• Ambassador James P. Zumwalt, CEO, Sasakawa USA
• Dr. Satu Limaye, Director, East-West Center in Washington
• Dr. Alexander Vuving, Professor, Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
• Dr. Patricio Abinales, Professor, Asian Studies Program, University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Dr. Kei Koga, Assistant Professor at the Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme, Nanyang Technological University
• Ms. Colin Willett, Senior Associate (Non-resident), Southeast Asia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and former Southeast Asia Director at the National Security Council

Sasakawa USA’s Views of Japan Series explores perceptions on Japan in other regions around the world. Previous events featured views from Africa (“Japan and Africa: Regional Views and U.S.-Japan Cooperation”) and Europe (“European Views on Asia and Japan: A Relationship in Need of Engagement?”).