Representatives of the ASEAN-Japan Centre Council member countries: L-R Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Thailand, Brunei, Amb. Manuel M. Lopez (Philippines), Secretary General Yoshikuni Ohnishi, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan and Myanmar. Representative from Singapore is not in photo.

The Philippines has been elected as this year’s Chairman of the Council of the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) during its 30th Annual Council Meeting on 9-10 February 2011. The AJC, based in Tokyo, is an international organization composed of Japan and the ten (10) ASEAN countries namely Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The new Philippine Ambassador to Japan, H.E. Manuel M. Lopez, presided over the Annual Council Meeting composed of Council Directors from the ASEAN member countries. The chairmanship rotates every year among members. As Chair, the Philippines will supervise the planning and implementation of the Centre’s activities and projects in cooperation with the Centre’s Secretariat led by Secretary General Yoshikuni Ohnishi.

Since its establishment in 1981, the ASEAN-Japan Centre has organized various trade missions, investment seminars, trade exhibitions, buying and selling missions both in Japan and ASEAN member countries. Its main objectives are: 1) to promote export from ASEAN to Japan; 2) to accelerate the inflow of investments from Japan to ASEAN 3) to vitalize tourist traffic from Japan to ASEAN.

Some of the Centre’s projects last year included the ASEAN Food and Beverage Trade Missions, Industrial Familiarization Missions, ASEAN Tourism Fair, and recently, the ASEAN-Japan forum on development of contents industry. The media coverage of AJC activities has contributed to growing public awareness of ASEAN in Japan and has raised the profile of the Centre which remains as a symbol of friendship between ASEAN and Japan.

The Philippines took over from Myanmar, last year’s Council Chairman.

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