Japan, Asean envisage East Asian community

The leaders of Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) agreed to work towards the regional grouping in the Tokyo Declaration, signed after a two-day summit here to mark three decades of relations between them.

The declaration said they sought to build an East Asian community that had "the shared spirit of mutual understanding and upholding Asian traditions and values, while respecting universal rules and principles."

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"Although our relationship is in a good state ... (global and other) environments require Asean and Japan to work together even more closely," President Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia, the current Asean chair, told reporters.

"We note a desire to consolidate our cooperation in the political and security fields," she said at a post-summit media briefing with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

The 10-nation Asean would also work with its other dialogue partners -- China and South Korea -- to develop the East Asian community, Megawati said.

Koizumi dismissed a perception that Japan hosted the summit with Asean to catch up with the growing regional influence of China.

China's rapid growth should be seen not as a threat but as "an opportunity" for Japan and the region, he said.