JCP Ogata speaks at ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year 2003 Symposium

Japanese Communist Party International Bureau Director and House of Councilors member Ogata Yasuo attended the ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year 2003 Open Symposium in Tokyo on July 23.

Organized by the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO), the symposium was attended by representatives of economic or international affairs research institutes in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. They discussed comprehensive economic cooperation between Japan and ASEAN member states.

Referring to the Asian Bond Markets Initiative reported by Mario B. Lamberte, president of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, JCP Ogata stated that the point of this plan is to enable Asian resources to be used for Asia, not for other regions.

Ogata expressed his interest in how the Asian Bond Market Initiatives will be embodied at future international conferences including the APEC summit. (end)