Mekong Investment Underscores Japan’s Economic Clout in Southeast Asia

Mekong Investment Underscores Japan’s Economic Clout in Southeast Asia
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, shakes hands with Myanmar's] President Thein Sein, left, and Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, July 4, 2015 (AP photo by Kazuhiro Nogi).

Earlier this month, Japan announced a three-year, $7 billion investment deal with the countries of the lower Mekong River to boost development and improve infrastructure. In an email interview, Phuong Nguyen, an associate fellow with the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discussed Japan’s relations in Southeast Asia.

WPR: How extensive are Japan’s ties in Southeast Asia, and with what countries does Japan have the closest relations?

Phuong Nguyen: Japan has a long history with Southeast Asia dating back to the World War II period. Southeast Asia functioned as an important source of resources and later as a market for Japan’s economic recovery after the end of World War II. Thailand, which was allied with Japan during the war, emerged during this period as the regional base for Japan’s economic activities. Tokyo began to formulate a region-wide strategy with the 1977 Fukuda Doctrine, in which Japan stressed the building of mutual trust with Southeast Asia and pledged to forever renounce military power. Economic linkages have come to define Japan’s postwar engagement with Southeast Asia.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article as well as three free articles per month. You'll also receive our free email newsletter to stay up to date on all our coverage:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having your own personal researcher and analyst for news and events around the globe. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of 15,000+ articles
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday
  • Weekly in-depth reports on important issues and countries
  • Daily links to must-read news, analysis, and opinion from top sources around the globe, curated by our keen-eyed team of editors
  • Your choice of weekly region-specific newsletters, delivered to your inbox.
  • Smartphone- and tablet-friendly website.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review