MAY 29 ― The recent three-day official visit of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to Japan has marked the elevation of bilateral ties to strategic partnership, enhancing cooperation in various projects.

Malaysia has maintained good ties with Japan over all these years. Cooperation in various fields like economy, trade, tourism and education has progressed well since former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad introduced the “Look East Policy (LEP)” in 1981. In 2013, Najib announced that the countries would usher in the LEP 2.0, which focuses on economic cooperation. Today, the two countries elevated the bilateral ties to strategic partnership.

The elevated cooperation is expected to bring both countries more opportunities. At the same time, Najib promised that Malaysia will play a role in regional cooperation, including in Trans-Pacific Partnership and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Since Malaysia and Japan are consultative parties, Najib stressed that feasible and effective agreements will be achieved to benefit both countries.

Malaysia and Japan have their own strengths in different areas. For instance, Malaysia possesses specific expertise and experience in Islamic finance; Japan has industrial experts and technology. It is believed that cooperation between the two countries can help in opening up a greater global market. With the growing interest of Japan in Islamic finance and halal industry, we can expect a more vigorous development in these areas.

It must be mentioned that the LEP 2.0 focuses on expediting economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in areas like industrial technologies, services and managerial skills. Japan is also expected to bid for the High Speed Railway (HSR) Project between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. After taking the Hayabusa 15 Shinkansen that travels 320km per hour to Sendai city, Najib said that the Shinkansen is highly competitive in terms of safety and reliability.

A few countries with high speed railway technology and experience like China and South Korea have expressed their strong interest in bidding the project. The competition involving Japanese, Chinese and European companies is expected to reach climax when the time comes.

Japan hopes that its Shinkansen technology will be adopted by the HSR Project and in addition to cost, the strength in operational technical support will also be taken as one of the considerations.

The highly efficient and time-saving Japanese Shinkansen technology has further consolidated its status in technology, while greatly stimulated economic exchanges. Therefore, it is a model for the HSR in shortening travelling time between Malaysia and Singapore, developing economy, as well as adopting industrial technology and high-end services. Once it is turned into reality, it will sure further enhance the bilateral ties between Malaysia and Japan.

*This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.