Why do we need women's perspectives? Female Foreign Ministers of Japan and Indonesia Talk

*For the first part of this event, we are accepting questions in advance, so there will not be a question-and-answer session. If you have any questions for the first part, please enter them in the question field of the application form in advance.
In the second part, there will be a question-and-answer session at the end of the session.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of cooperation between Japan and ASEAN since 1973. At various levels, Japan and ASEAN countries have established friendly relations and cooperated for mutual development. It is hoped that the experience gained through this cooperation will foster an even stronger partnership between Japan and ASEAN, not only for mutual development, but also to work together to solve global issues.

Today, the world is faced with the immediate threat of war, including the situation in Myanmar after the coup d'etat, which is the biggest challenge for ASEAN, as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. As the search for a new international order continues, Japan and ASEAN countries need to work together and pool our wisdom on how we can contribute to stability in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. In addition to conflicts and wars, natural disasters — which are becoming more serious due to the effects of climate change — are causing socio-economically vulnerable people to suffer. In addition, the world is under pressure to respond to new security threats such as cyber terrorism and violent extremism.

On the other hand, progress has been made internationally where the importance of including women's perspectives in crisis response in traditional security, such as war and conflict or in non-traditional security areas such as natural disasters, is recognized. It has been established that consideration of women's perspectives leads to the incorporation of the needs of victims and people affected by such tragedies. The participation of women in security-related decision-making leads to a more objective assessment of the costs of war and combat, and produces greater results in preventing the recurrence of conflict, maintaining security, and peacebuilding initiatives. This is the argument of Women Peace and Security (WPS), which began with UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000. As the challenges of responding to crises mount in an uncertain global situation, it is hoped that women's voices and participation in decision-making, which until now have not been adequately reflected, will make an significant difference.

In the first session of this seminar, we have invited two women ministers leading diplomacy in the Asia Pacific region: Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. We would like to hear from them with “women’s perspectives” as a starting point, how Japan and ASEAN countries can work together in security or disaster management. In addition, being a strong advocate for the WPS agenda, the two female ministers will discuss how the integration of women’s perspectives can potentially transform security policy, and the possibilities for Japan-ASEAN collaboration in the promotion of WPS in the future.

In the second part, we will invite women leaders promoting WPS in ASEAN countries. Since the adoption of the Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in the 31st ASEAN Summit in November 2017, there have been initiatives taken by ASEAN to incorporate the WPS agenda into regional bodies, and in December 2022, the ASEAN Regional Action Plan was adopted. We would like to deepen our understanding on how regional organizations like ASEAN work with each country to integrate the WPS agenda into peace and security issues, and how Japan can potentially collaborate in promoting the policy discussion on gender equality and peace.

*Please note that this is an in-person seminar. It will not be streamed online.

Should you wish to participate, please fill out the application form provided on this page by 14:00 on Thursday, December 14 (JST).

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A security check may be conducted at the entrance of the building on the day of the event.

There is no cloakroom, so please refrain from bringing large luggage.