[ti:Japan Seeks to Expand Influence in Southeast Asia]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.24]As the United States pulls back from large free trade deals in the Asia-Pacific,
[00:07.28]Japan is competing with China for influence in the area.
[00:14.08]Japan is discussing deals to build a train line in the Philippines,
[00:20.60]a seaport in Cambodia, and a free trade agreement
[00:26.02]for countries around the Pacific Ocean.
[00:30.68]U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Trans Pacific Partnership,
[00:37.48]or TPP, free trade deal in January.
[00:43.16]That move left 11 countries including Japan, Vietnam,
[00:49.68]Malaysia and Singapore wondering how to move forward.
[00:55.54]Japan led the remaining countries to a revised deal at a meeting last week
[01:03.96]of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group in Vietnam.
[01:12.60]The new free trade deal is called the Comprehensive
[01:17.12]and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
[01:23.40]Japan is also increasing its investment in major Southeast Asian countries.
[01:31.52]Japanese investment in major countries in the region
[01:35.88]has averaged $20 billion each year from 2011 to 2016.
[01:44.44]That is more than double the average from the five years before 2011.
[01:52.76]Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was among the leaders
[01:57.60]at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
[02:01.56]or ASEAN, meeting in the Philippines this week.
[02:07.40]The 10-member ASEAN group agreed
[02:10.98]to upgrade a nine-year-old trade agreement with Japan.
[02:16.44]A spokesman for Abe, Norio Murayama,
[02:20.92]said Japan hopes to secure trade routes
[02:24.64]through Southeast Asia to markets as far away as Africa.
[02:31.68]Murayama said, "For Japan, the country surrounded by the sea,
[02:37.84]a maritime order is extremely important."
[02:42.00]He raised concerns, however, about the safety of shipping through the region.
[02:49.92]Jeffrey Kingston is a writer and instructor at Temple University Japan.
[02:57.12]He said there are concerns that China may seek total control
[03:02.96]over navigation in the South China Sea.
[03:08.48]"A lot of Japanese investment,
[03:11.08]a lot of factories' offshore operations (are) located there," he said.
[03:19.08]China and Japan still face difficult issues
[03:22.88]linked to Japan's activities before and during World War II.
[03:29.40]The two countries also have conflicting claims
[03:33.44]to some small islands in the East China Sea.
[03:39.84]Japanese direct aid around the world increased
[03:44.08]by 12.7 percent last year to $10.37 billion.
[03:52.32]The foreign ministry says on its website
[03:56.12]that Japan is seeking to support the goals
[04:00.16]of "human security" and "sustainable development."
[04:05.80]Japan wants to do this based on the needs of individual countries.
[04:13.28]China, however, has proposed a huge development program
[04:18.48]involving hundreds of billions of dollars.
[04:23.40]Known as the "One Belt, One Road" infrastructure campaign,
[04:28.64]the project aims to link Asia, Europe and even Africa.
[04:35.32]Stephen Nagy is an associate political science professor
[04:40.40]at International Christian University in Tokyo.
[04:45.88]He said Japan's efforts in Southeast Asia will become clearer
[04:52.00]because the U.S. is currently not as active in the region under President Trump.
[05:00.56]Nagy said Japan has an important part to play
[05:05.36]in developing partnerships in the region.
[05:09.57]He added that Japan's efforts help balance China's expanding economic,
[05:17.16]diplomatic and security influence throughout Southeast Asia.
[05:25.00]I'm Mario Ritter.
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