Dr M goes to Japan to rekindle old ties
PM and Japanese leader Abe will be looking at how to reignite Look East policy
WHEN Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad made his first official visit to Tokyo in January 1983 soon after launching his Look East Policy, among the delegation who greeted him then was Japan’s Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe.
On Tuesday, Dr Mahathir, 93, will be meeting Shintaro’s son, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 63, during a working visit to Tokyo.
Despite the 30-year difference in their ages, both Dr Mahathir and Abe have a few traits in common – they are Prime Ministers for the second time.
They also have another interest in common; both men will be looking at how to reignite interest in Dr Mahathir’s Look East policy.
While the Look East Policy has never flagged in Malaysia – former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak even announced its second wave in 2013 – it is undeniable that interest among diplomatic and investment circles has recently shifted slightly towards another Eastern economic giant, China.
Japan’s place as one of Malaysia’s top economic partners in the 1980s has been overtaken by China.
In 2014, trade between Malaysia and Japan amounted to RM137.45bil, the third biggest after China and Singapore.
A year later, Japan slipped to fourth place with RM127.40bil.
It was only in 2017 that trade with Japan overcame two years of consecutive negative growth to jump by 14.7%.
Japanese aid such as the Official Development Assistance (ODA) and soft loans for development projects, including the KL International Airport, has also dwindled.
However, former International Trade and Industry Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria said one should not compare China’s huge trade volume with that of Japan’s as a sign of better relations.
“Every other country has high trade volume with China. It’s the nature of the country,” she said, pointing out that the Japanese were “very loyal, long time investors” and had engaged with Malaysia at many levels.
“Some of the Japanese companies have moved beyond assembly lines and gone high-tech,” Dr Rebecca said.
It is no wonder then that Dr Mahathir’s trip to Tokyo – the first since winning the 14th General Election and at the helm of a diffe- rent coalition this time – is raising questions if this may be his attempt to shift the previous administration’s emphasis on China back to Japan.
This came in the wake of Dr Mahathir’s announcement for a review of the RM55bil East Coast Rail Link – which is being constructed by a Chinese company – and his sending Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officials to China for discussions over a pipeline deal.
Last week, Dr Mahathir told reporters in Langkawi that while he would be speaking at the 24th International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo, he hoped that the trip would also strengthen the relationship between Malaysia and Japan.
“(We will) just be strengthening bilateral relations and I (also) want to speak a little about the Look East Policy. Besides that, we will also (touch on) investments from Japan into Malaysia,” he said.
Japan, along with China, has been pushing its bid for the MalaysiaSingapore High Speed Rail but now that it is off the table, it will be interesting to see what kind of investments this entails.
Dr Mahathir, said Dr Rebecca, had gone for the Nikkei-Shimbun conference every year, adding that the Prime Minister was “personally very close to them (Japan)”.
“This (visit) will further enhance the relationship,” she said.
Dr Mahathir will be having a packed schedule from the moment he touches down at Haneda Airport today.
Besides delivering the keynote address at the Nikkei-Shimbun organised conference tomorrow morning, he will be attending a dialogue with the Japan National Press Club where some 200 media members are, no doubt, eager to pepper him with questions.
The next day, Dr Mahathir will be given a Guard of Honour welcome upon arrival at the Prime Minister’s Office in Chiyoda Ward for his courtesy call on Abe.
Both leaders are expected to touch on bilateral issues and “not much on the multilateral and regional issues”, according to diplomatic sources, adding that there will be a joint statement later.
Immediately following that, Dr Mahathir will join a dialogue session organised by the Japan-Malaysian Parliamentarians’ Friendship League.
While analysts have pointed out that there have been many changes in Japan since the 1980s – its economy is no longer the powerhouse it once was and the country’s demographic has aged considerably – and the country may no longer be that charitable with its yen loans, there is still one thing that has remained constant.
The Japanese Prime Minister that Dr Mahathir met in 1983 – Yasuhiro Nakasone – is still around, having celebrated his 100th birthday on May 27.