The Asia and Middle East Program held the first Asian Statespersons' Forum (ASF) in the form of group discussions for three days from August 25 to 27, 2023, with the aim of promoting mutual understanding and building human networks among political leaders in the Asian region for the long-term peace and stability of Asian societies, including Japan.
This year, we invited a total of 13 young and mid-career political leaders (including aspiring politicians) from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand who share the values of "promoting democracy," "improving social diversity and inclusion," and "working together for regional stability and security. seven persons from Diet members of both houses of parliament from Japan were also in attendance.
On the first day, the 25th, a welcome reception was held at the Meiji Kinenkan in Tokyo. H.E. Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Prof. Takashi Shiraishi, Chancellor of the Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Mr. Ryo Nakamura, Director-General, Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and H.E. Mr. Heri Akhmadi Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to Japan gave welcome remarks.
On the second day, group discussions among political leaders from Southeast Asia and Japan were held at the International Conference Hall of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. Participants raised multifaceted issues and engaged in frank and lively discussions as individual politicians, making for a significant exchange of views.
On the final day, a discussion between Southeast Asian political leaders and ASF Academic Supporting Committee members (Japanese researchers in Southeast Asian Studies) was held at the International Conference Hall of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, where a lively exchange of opinions took place among the participants.
On top of that, one of the participants from Indonesia, H.E. Ms. Yenny Wahid, a member of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and daughter of the 4th President Wahid, talked about the significance of her participation in this program and her sense of mission as a politician on a podcast from the Foundation. Please look at the podcast
here.
