PRESS RELEASES

The 12th ASEAN and Japan Transport Ministers Meeting

18 December 2014

    The 12th ASEAN and Japan Transport Ministers Meeting (ATM+Japan) was held in Mandalay, Myanmar on 28 November 2014. From Japan, H.E. Kazuhiko Aoki, Parliamentary Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, attended the meeting, followed by Ms. Yuri Furusawa, Deputy Director-General for International Affairs, and other officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan as well as the Mission of Japan to ASEAN. From the ASEAN, H.E. Nyan Htun Aung, Union Minister for Transport of Myanmar, and other ASEAN Transport Ministers attended the meeting, followed by the Senior Transport Officials and other officials from the Member States as well as the ASEAN Secretariat. The Meeting was preceded by the 13th ASEAN and Japan Senior Transport Officials Meeting (STOM+Japan) held on 26 November 2014.

    The Ministers meeting noted several progress reports or initiatives by Japan, including the followings, and endorsed the relevant four new project initiatives under the ASEAN-Japan Transport Partnership (AJTP):
(1) Study on ASEAN Possible Land Bridge Transport;
(2) Cooperation Program for Improvement in Maritime Transport Safety: Joint Hydrographic Resurvey in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore;
(3) ASEAN-Japan Cruise Promotion Strategy;
(4) Guideline for Introduction of Port Electronic Data Interchange System on Port-related Procedures;
(5) The AJTP Work Plan for 2014-2015; and
(6) Report on the convening of the ASEAN-Japan Working Group on Regional Air Services Agreement.

    It is expected that as ASEAN continues to develop further, our ties with ASEAN in transport services and related mutual cooperation in the transport sector will be strengthened further.