Ecology, communication and human resources strengthen ties between Tokyo and Central Asia
Japan is looking to the region with projects worth billion over five years. The Land of the Rising Sun's soft power policy in the area is strengthening. For Central Asians, the Japanese are ‘very reliable partners focused on practical results’. Key elements include human capital development, training and administrative programmes, technological standards and high-quality projects.
Moscow (AsiaNews) - On 20 December, the first ‘Central Asia-Japan’ summit concluded in Tokyo, with the participation of the five presidents of the Central Asian region, who approved a joint declaration indicating the three priorities for future collaboration: sustainable ecology, communication and human resource development.
Japan has expressed its intention to implement commercial projects in Central Asia worth 3 trillion yen, approximately 20 billion dollars, over the next five years.
As several experts have commented, Japan has been exercising soft power in Central Asia for over 30 years, since the end of the Soviet Union, through humanitarian, cultural and economic means.
However, the recent high-level meeting marks a turning point, demonstrating how Tokyo is seeking to strengthen its presence in a region that is becoming increasingly important in the global geopolitical balance, offering a more articulated and in-depth model of collaboration.
It remains to be seen how much the Japanese will be able to insert themselves into the power games in Central Asia, considering the fierce competition already underway between Russia and China, and behind them with America and Europe, as a report by Deutsche Welle also points out.
The strategic significance of the latest summit is evident in its institutional nature, according to Professor Timur Dadabaev, chair of international relations at the University of Tsukuba in Japan.
He recalls that Japan was a pioneer in this direction, one of the first countries to use the “Silk Road diplomacy” formula, and in fact the “Central Asia-Japan” format was inaugurated in 2004, anticipating the many “5+1” summits that Central Asians have since developed with many other global partners.
Now, from a simple diplomatic mechanism, the meeting has taken on a strategic dimension across the board.
For Central Asia, this means a great expansion of room for manoeuvre and a strengthening of “multivectorality”, the founding principle of these countries' politics. For Japan, this opens up the possibility of strengthening its long-term presence in the region, focusing on sustainable transport chains, energy transition, critical resources and human capital.
Central Asians have a very positive opinion of the Japanese, whom they consider ‘very reliable and results-oriented partners’, as noted by Mark Sariev, an expert on regional security in Kyrgyzstan.
In his opinion, ‘Japanese volunteers working in our countries demonstrate a high level of cultural adaptability, quickly learning the Kyrgyz language and our traditions, and even playing our national instruments’.
This evokes deep feelings in Kyrgyz society, and it can be said that ‘there are no anti-Japanese sentiments in our country; on the contrary, public opinion is oriented towards further intensification of cooperation,’ explains Sariev.
Timur Dadabaev also confirms that Japanese soft power is not based on ideological pressure, but on long-term investments in people, knowledge and institutional practices.
The key elements are human capital development, training and administrative programmes, technological standards and high-quality projects.
Another expert from Tajikistan, Sobir Kurbanov, believes that the Japanese are mainly interested in rare earths, as are the Europeans and Americans, creating significant competition in the region between all the major international players.
According to commentators, however, Japan is trying to act without causing tension and conflict, but in harmony and close relations, particularly with the European Union, in order to implement the most important plans for all partners, such as sustainable transport infrastructure, green energy and other development prospects.
.png)
02/09/2017 13:09
14/12/2023 09:30
