Japan’s foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has increased ten-fold, while itstwo-way trade with the bloc has risen 2.4 times over the past ten years.

ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh expressedhis impression at the remarkable outcomes during his reception forChairman of the Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) AkioMimura in Jakarta , Indonesia .

Minh was quotedin the February 5 press release issued by the ASEAN Secretariat that hewelcomed the heightened interest of the Japanese business community inASEAN engendered by the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community in2015.

He stated that ASEAN and Japan havecelebrated over 40 years of bilateral friendship and cooperation. Overthe past four decades, Japan has made significant contributions tothe ASEAN Community’s building efforts which have further promotedpeace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Minhencouraged the JCCI to work with ASEAN small-and medium-sizedenterprises (SMEs) on enhancing business partnerships and furtheringtrade and investment ties.

Akio Mimura showed theJCCI’s interest in ASEAN initiatives, including the Open Skies Policy;the ASEAN free trade agreements (FTA); and the bloc’s post-2015 vision.

He also emphasised the need for closer andmulti-dimensional socio-economic ties between the two sides throughtrade, investment, public-private dialogue and people-to-peoplerelationship.

Japan is currently the thirdbiggest trade partner of ASEAN, with bilateral trade amounting to 240.8billion USD in 2013. It is the second largest source of FDI inflows tothe group with 22.9 billion USD, accounting for 18.7 percent of thetotal FDI to the bloc.-VNA