Study Reports

Institute for International Cooperation
Japan International Cooperation Agency

PDF (PDF/72KB)

Beneath the growing need to address population, environmental, food-related and other global issues in the developing countries in which the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) operates, each country and region has its own unique circumstances and is at a different stage of development. This means that it is essential to provide carefully tailored support accordingly. It is with this in mind that JICA has continued to conduct research into country-specific assistance in an effort to map out the direction of support for each country, working together with experts in various fields to refine our approach to assistance in line with the actual situations and issues faced in individual developing countries. We have set up a total of 43 study groups on assistance for specific countries and seven for specific regions to date and have summarized our findings in reports. This particular regional study group has conducted new research into assistance in Southeast Asia, a region within which Japan provides each country with maximum support, from the fresh perspective of the region itself.

Since the 1990s, there has been a rapid increase in the number of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) such as customs tariff unions as regional integration moves forwards on a global scale. Southeast Asia has seen increased activity in terms of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) integration, with developments such as the adoption of the ASEAN Vision 2020 in 1997 and the resolution to establish as ASEAN community by the year 2020. The flip side to this increase in cross-border activity however is a growing need to tackle transnational issues such as terrorism, maritime piracy, avian flu and environmental issues, not least in Southeast Asia. It is becoming increasingly necessary to address issues such as these on a regional rather than a national level.

Japan has always placed a major emphasis on its relationship with the Southeast Asia region, prompting Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI to put forward the concept of an East Asia Community in Singapore in January 2002. Japan has continued to set out ASEAN initiatives since then in an effort to further strengthen the cooperative relationship between itself and the region. JICA has similarly started to promote regional as well as bilateral cooperation in Southeast Asia and has held JICA-ASEAN Regional Cooperation Meetings (JARCOM) with aid officials from each country in the region every year since 2002.

Bearing this in mind, this study has been carried out with the aim of ascertaining progress with regional integration in Southeast Asia and examining approaches and methods of providing assistance from a regional perspective based on an overview of regional initiatives. Specifically, this study has primarily focused on two priority areas; support for ASEAN integration and transnational issues. The first of these, support for ASEAN integration, is also made up of two priority areas, namely support for further institutionalization and infrastructure development as part of regional integration and support to help eradicate poverty and disparities.

In parallel with this study, JICA has also been looking into region-specific project operation policies. Having positioned this report as a background paper for its project operation policy in Southeast Asia, JICA hopes to put it to good use in the planning and implementation of projects on a regional level in the future and to bring it into wide use amongst all related organizations.

Finally, JICA would like to express its sincerest gratitude to all of the committee members and other parties involved in the compilation of this report for all of their hard work and also to all of the related organizations that have provided their assistance.

Contents (PDF/484KB)

Foreword

Contents

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations

Executive Summary

Introduction: Outline of Study

Chapter I Regional Integration and Transformation in East Asia (PDF/36KB)

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Growing Worldwide Shift to Regional Integration
• 3. Changes in Economic Development Models
• 4. Regionalization and Regionalism

Chapter II Regional Integration and Development (PDF/84KB)

• 1. Classification of Regional Economic Integration
• 2. Motivations for Regional Integration
• 3. Trade Effects of Regional Integration
• 4. Regional Integration and Logistical Networks
• 5. Regional Integration and Intra-Regional Disparities
• 6. Existing Intra-Regional Disparities in ASEAN
• 7. The Driving Force behind Deepening Integration
• 8. Regional Integration and Democratization

Chapter III The Past and the Present of ASEAN (PDF/156KB)

• 1. Current Status of ASEAN
  • (1) Diversity of member states
  • (2) Status of achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
  • (3) Economic growth
  • (4) Expansion of trade
  • (5) Direct investment
  • (6) Assistance
  • (7) Trade and investment relations between Japan and ASEAN
• 2. Historical Developments of ASEAN
  • (1) Formation of the Southeast Asian region
  • (2) The nascent ASEAN
  • (3) Communist sweep throughout Indochina and inward-focused collective self-reliance
  • (4) New economic cooperation strategies and the establishment of ASEAN 10
  • (5) Asian economic crisis and accelerated integration
• 3. Regional Initiatives Associated with ASEAN
  • (1) Overview
  • (2) ASEAN-driven initiatives
  • (3) ASEAN, China and India
  • (4) Frameworks subsuming ASEAN
  • (5) Frameworks potentially competing with ASEAN
  • (6) Competition among regional frameworks
• 4. ASEAN’s Regional Organizations
  • (1) Decision-making mechanism
  • (2) ASEAN Secretariat

Chapter IV Direction of Cooperation (PDF/156KB)

• 1. Japan’s Initiatives for Cooperation with ASEAN
• 2. Direction of Assistance
  • (1) Basic position
  • (2) Regional cooperation, combating global challenges and assistance to ASEAN member countries
  • (3) Supporting deeper integration and the conditions for sustained integration
  • (4) Support for ASEAN and human security
  • (5) Primary support areas

Chapter V Directions in Priority Support According to Individual Issues (PDF/276KB)

• 1. Support for Building the Systems and Infrastructure that Enable the Free Movement of People, Goods, Money and Information
  • 1-1 Trade and Investment
  • 1-2 Finance
  • 1-3 Transportation
  • 1-4 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
• 2. Eradicating Poverty and Disparities
  • 2-1 CLMV Countries
  • 2-2 BIMP-EAGA and Other ASEAN Growth Areas
• 3. Transnational Challenges
  • 3-1 Public Security and Development
  • 3-2 The Environment
  • 3-3 Energy
• 4. Human Resource Development
  • 4-1 Human Resource Development Objectives and Initiatives
  • 4-2 Overview of Japanese Initiatives in Relation to Human Resource Development
  • 4-3 Human Resource Development Issues in the ASEAN Region
  • 4-4 Directions Regional Cooperation
  • 4-5 Points of Concern Relating to Regional Cooperation

Chapter VI Course of Action for Assistance (PDF/48KB)

• 1. Importance of the Regional Perspective
• 2. JICA’s Structure for Executing Regional Assistance
• 3. Approaches to Cooperation
• 4. Collaboration with External Organizations
• 5. Hurdles to Overcome in Implementing Regional Cooperation

Bibliography and References (PDF/56KB)