PRESS RELEASES

Dialogue between members of Governing Board and Academic Advisory Council of ERIA and Ambassadors of East Asia Summit Participating Countries / Courtesy Call by H.E. Ms. Akira Matsu, member of the House of Councillors of Japan to H.E. Mr. Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN

May 8, 2013

    On Saturday, May 4, members of the Governing Board and the Academic Advisory Council of Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) held an annual dialogue with Ambassadors of East Asia Summit participating countries. This Dialogue was held for the Ambassadors to be briefed on the research activities of ERIA and to exchange their views on the direction of ERIA’s activities with members of Governing Board and Academic Advisory Council of ERIA.

    H.E. Mr. Kimihiro Ishikane, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN, participated in the Dialogue. H.E Ms. Akira Matsu, who is a member of the House of Councillors of Japan and accompanied by Japanese business executives, also attended the Dialogue. At the beginning of the Dialogue, H.E. Ms. Matsu, who is also the Vice Chairperson of ERIA Parliamentary League in Japan and had been involved in the conceptualization of ERIA in 2006, made a short speech in which she expressed her hope for further success of ERIA as well as Japan’s continuous support for ERIA.

    In the Dialogue, participants congratulated the re-election by the Governing Board of Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura for another 5-year term as Executive Director of ERIA. The participants also expressed their great expectations on ERIA’s future research activities such as research on RCEP and ASEAN Connectivity.

    After the Dialogue, H.E. Ms. Matsu paid a courtesy call to H.E. Mr. Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN. They shared the wish that meaningful discussions on medium and long term cooperative relations between ASEAN and Japan would be held during the ASEAN-Japan 40th Anniversary Commemorative Summit Meeting this December, taking into account of wide range of cooperation between ASEAN and Japan in such areas as political security, economy, and social and cultural fields. Japanese business delegates who also attended the courtesy call showed their strong interest for trade and investment opportunities in ASEAN.