Top > What's up around the Prime Minister > December, 2005

The Third Day of the ASEAN+3, Japan-ASEAN and East Asia Summit (EAS) Summit Meetings Tuesday, December 14, 2005 JAPANESE Click photographs to enlarge In the morning of December 14, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended the first East Asia Summit (EAS) held in Kuala Lumpur with the participation of the leaders of 16 countries -- the 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea (ROK), India, Australia, and New Zealand. At the meeting, the leaders agreed to promote economic integration in East Asia and signed the "Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the East Asia Summit," which includes a line stating that the EAS "could play a significant role" in the formation of an East Asian community in the years to come. Furthermore, the leaders adopted an EAS declaration on countermeasures against avian influenza, which has as its pillar the joint stockpiling of antiviral drugs. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, and began with an address delivered by Mr. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, who joined the meeting as a guest. Russia is aiming to become a member country of the EAS. The EAS will take place annually, with the next meeting scheduled to be held in the Philippines next December. In the afternoon, Prime Minister Koizumi held a meeting with Mr. John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia. At the meeting, Prime Minister Koizumi officially informed Prime Minister Howard that Japan has decided to extend the dispatch period of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Iraq engaged in reconstruction assistance by one year. Prime Minister Howard welcomed this decision. Prime Minister Koizumi held a press conference in Kuala Lumpur after a series of meetings, including the first EAS, and stated that, "From now on, at the East Asia Summit meetings, the leaders of the 16 countries, aiming at molding a community in the future, will see eye-to-eye and strengthen our cooperation and will be able to jointly tackle various issues. The fact that such a forum is in place will be very meaningful for Japan as well as for ASEAN and for the other countries that newly participated." Related links: Press Conference by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Following the ASEAN+3, Japan-ASEAN and EAS Summit Meetings EAST ASIA SUMMIT DECLARATION ON AVIAN INFLUENZA PREVENTION, CONTROL AND RESPONSE KUALA LUMPUR DECLARATION ON THE EAST ASIA SUMMIT View Video (Available only in Japanese) Real(Narrowband) / Real(Broadband) Windows Media(Narrowband) / Windows Media(Broadband)