Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs MIYAJI Takuma told the 8th Indian Ocean Conference on Monday that the idea of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) is not to exclude anyone or impose specific values, but rather to protect vulnerable states by ensuring the rule of law and leading the international community towards cooperation rather than division and confrontation.

To achieve this, Miyaji, , representing Japan’s active role in the initiative, spoke on three key points: maintaining and strengthening a free and fair economic order; strengthening maritime law enforcement capabilities and maritime security to protect freedom of the seas; and connectivity to realize the potential of the economic zone that encompasses Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Miyaji, speaking at the conference in the Omani capital, Muscat, underscored Japan’s economic success, achieved through the benefits of free trade, as a model for the Indo-Pacific region.

“A free and fair order that overcomes divisions is an essential precondition for bringing quality growth and prosperity to the Indo-Pacific region,” Miyaji told the international audience, highlighting the potential for all countries around the Indo-Pacific to share equally in the fruits of growth, thereby preventing further division in the region.

Referring to a speech titled “Confluence of the Two Seas” given to India’s parliament by former Prime Minister ABE Shinzo, Miyaji emphasized the growing interconnectedness between the Indian Ocean, linking Asia and Africa, and the Pacific Ocean, fostering a sense of unity in the region.

But he warned, the world has entered an era in which cooperation and division are becoming increasingly intertwined and complex crises such as geopolitical competition and global challenges are rising, which, he said, is also affecting the Indian Ocean region.