KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 — Malaysia and Japan, which recently held the second bilateral coordinating committee (BCC) meeting on the Look East Policy 2.0 (LEP 2.0) in Tokyo, are optimistic of deepening bilateral engagement and promote further collaboration, especially in the areas under the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) said successful discussions were held on the ongoing and future projects under the LEP 2.0 platform, namely the special preparatory programme for Malaysian government scholarship students, the LEP 2.0 training programme, science and technology research partnership and bilateral cooperation projects.

"Both countries acknowledged the need to incorporate new trends in bilateral cooperation into the framework of LEP 2.0 so that it reinforces its relevance as the platform for implementing the Look East Policy concept and projects,” it said in a statement.

The BCC, held on March 8, was co-chaired by Shigeki Takizaki, director-general of the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and MITI deputy-secretary general (trade) Datuk Seri Norazman Ayob.

MITI said BCC participants also welcomed the momentum for revitalising the Look East Policy following the appointment of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the founding father of the policy that was first advocated in 1982, as the seventh Prime Minister in May 2018.

The two countries also agreed to hold the third BCC meeting in Malaysia next year. — Bernama