Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) in Japan and ASEAN

To open the event, SPF President Atsushi Sunami underscored the importance of collaboration, arguing that “Japan and ASEAN countries need to cooperate and pool our wisdom together to see if we can contribute to the stability of the world and the Indo-Pacific region in return. To resolve issues related to this uncertain global situation, creative thinking from diverse perspectives is needed more than ever.”

He also expressed the foundation’s commitment to supporting the WPS agenda through projects led by SPF’s Peacebuilding Program, including the recent launch of new research exploring the relationship between masculinity and peacebuilding, as well as peacebuilding efforts in Southern Thailand.

She also highlighted Indonesia’s active participation in UN peacekeeping operations, with 119 women peacekeepers currently working in 7 missions, a number that is expected to more than double based on a recent pledge made at the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial. As part of these efforts, she pointed to longstanding cooperation between Indonesia and Japan in training peacekeepers and expressed her hope that this collaboration would continue.

The two foreign ministers were later joined on stage by Akiko Horiba, senior program officer of the Peacebuilding Program, to discuss the advantages and challenges they have faced as women in the foreign policy sphere.

Foreign Minister Retno, as the only female foreign minister in ASEAN, recalled entering what people told her was the “men’s world” of diplomacy at the beginning of her career and reflected on the challenges facing Indonesia during its tenure first holding the presidency of the G20 followed by chairmanship of ASEAN.
 
Foreign Minister Kamikawa also looked back on her journey toward understanding WPS as a parliamentarian and former justice minister. One key moment highlighted was her participation in an international meeting organized by SPF on the theme of women’s peace leadership where she was introduced to the concept of WPS. Upon returning to Japan, she noted that much of the dialogue around women’s issues tended to be siloed, limiting agility and effectiveness on crosscutting challenges such as natural disasters. This ultimately motivated her to form the WPS Parliamentary League in December 2022 as part of larger efforts in Japanese government. “As the foreign minister, I would like to forcefully promote WPS as a part and parcel of diplomacy,” she said, pledging to continue cooperation with ASEAN countries, Europe, and other partners.