In September 2025, Masuo Kuremura, formerly
Executive Secretary to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, was
appointed Chairman of the “Dialogue for Innovative and Sustainable Growth
(DISG),” a platform dedicated to advancing practical economic cooperation
between ASEAN and Japan.

In the same month, the Government of Japan introduced
a new policy framework for cooperation with ASEAN, clearly defining a
“Co-Creation” approach built on four pillars:

1.     
Supply Chain Resilience,

2.     
Digital Investment,

3.     
Promoting Innovation, and

4.     
AZEC(Asia Zero Emission
Community) / Transition.

With the participation of 13 economic
organizations across ASEAN, DISG will play a central role in accelerating the
development and execution of concrete public-private partnership projects aligned
with these four pillars.

 

*What is DISG?

DISG is a platform for dialogue,
established following the Japan-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting in 2020, aimed
at advancing Japan-ASEAN economic cooperation from “concept” to “execution”
under a shared co-creation vision.

In response to the challenges of the
COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN and Japan recognized the need for deeper
collaboration, leading to the launch of DISG.

Focusing on priority areas such as digital
transformation, green initiatives, and industrial development, DISG showcases
the latest Japan-ASEAN cooperation projects, while convening experts from the
private, academic, and public sectors to generate actionable new partnership
opportunities.

DISG also collaborates closely with 13
economic organizations, including the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), channeling real-world
business challenges and project proposals into policy recommendations submitted
to the Japan-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM-METI).

This integrated public-private PDCA cycle linking
policy and business in a continuous loop and enabling rapid, high-impact
execution is a defining feature of DISG.

 

*Background: Japan’s “Co-Creation” Approach with ASEAN

In the 1970s and 1980s, Japan primarily viewed
ASEAN as a manufacturing base, supporting industrial development through production.

Today, ASEAN has evolved into a dynamic
growth market, where addressing social challenges such as ESG and the SDGs generates
globally shared value.

The era of one-way support has passed. We
are now entering a new phase in which Japan’s technological strengths and
ASEAN’s growth potential and market scale are combined to co-create value.

Against this backdrop, the Government of
Japan has repositioned its relationship with ASEAN as one of “Co-Creation.”

 

*Four Key Directions for Future Cooperation

1. Strengthening Supply Chains
(Establishing resilient and self-reliant
manufacturing bases)

Amid ongoing U.S.-China economic tensions
and tariff negotiations, traditional approaches, such as rerouting low-cost
exports through ASEAN, are becoming less effective.

For ASEAN economies, upgrading domestic
industries is now a critical priority. From an economic security perspective,
building self-reliant supply chains has become an urgent imperative.

Strengthening manufacturing capabilities, from
upstream processes such as rare earths and rare metals to final-stage
production, is essential. However, achieving this independently remains
difficult.

Along with like-minded partners, Japan will
support ASEAN in building truly autonomous supply chains through collaboration
and shared resources.

 

2. Digital Investment

Large-scale investments by hyper-scalers
(major data center operators) are expanding across ASEAN. At the same time,
there is a growing recognition that smaller, locally-optimized large language
models (LLMs) may better meet regional demand and societal needs.

Reliance on computing resources
concentrated in a small number of major powers presents risks from an economic
security standpoint.

Japan’s strength lies in its comprehensive ecosystem,
from AI application developers to companies capable of building LLMs, as well
as foundational semiconductor technologies. This positions ASEAN countries to
partner with Japan in developing independent computing capabilities as a credible
alternative.

 

3. Promoting Innovation

DISG was designed to bring private-sector
dynamism directly into the policymaking process.

A flagship initiative is the “Fast Track
Pitch,” an open innovation platform where leading Japanese corporations,
startups, and ASEAN companies collaborate to develop solutions to
region-specific social challenges.

This approach is already delivering
tangible results, including Japanese companies addressing expansion challenges
in ASEAN through partnerships with local startups.

In FY2025, events were held in Singapore,
Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

 

4. AZEC / Transition

A rapid, European-style green transition
cannot be applied to Asia without adaptation.

In ASEAN, where economic growth continues, maintaining
a stable energy supply to support daily life and economic activity remains
essential. Balancing carbon neutrality with energy security is therefore a central
challenge.

A pragmatic approach is required. One that
combines Japan’s strengths in advanced technologies such as hydrogen and
ammonia with gas-fired power generation and energy efficiency solutions to
reduce overall energy demand.

Japan will contribute tailored energy
transition solutions that reflect ASEAN’s specific circumstances.

 

—Comment
from DISG Chairman Masuo–

Masuo
Kuremura
Chairman, DISG (Japan-ASEAN Economic and Industrial Cooperation Committee),
METI/Executive Director, JETRO Singapore

Born in 1976. Graduated from the Faculty of
Law, University of Tokyo.

Joined METI in 2002. Held key roles
including Executive Secretary to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry,
Director of the Industrial Finance Division, and Director of the Aerospace,
Defense and Space Industries Division.

Currently serves as Executive Director of
JETRO Singapore. Since July 2025, he has taken on his current role, overseeing
ASEAN and the broader APAC region from Singapore and leading new Japan-ASEAN
public-private economic cooperation initiatives.

“While ‘country-first’ policies are gaining
momentum globally, Japan has long developed alongside the international
community through a rules-based free economic system and frameworks such as
CPTPP and RCEP.

For ASEAN to sustain its growth, it is
essential to uphold these frameworks for free trade and investment, and Japan
will continue to actively support and promote them.

Japan’s strength lies in its reliability-delivering
on its commitments-and in providing high-quality solutions that create lasting
value for partner countries. Rather than focusing on short-term costs,
partnering with Japan offers significant long-term benefits in addressing
social challenges and enhancing productivity.

Addressing local challenges through Japan-ASEAN
cooperation ultimately contributes to solving global challenges. It is not only
large corporations, but also startups with new technologies and innovations,
that will shape the future.

By integrating the startup ecosystems of
Japan and ASEAN, we can build a new model of capitalism-one that balances
economic growth with the resolution of social challenges, rather than relying
solely on large-scale financial incentives.

I hope that young people will bring their
ideas and technologies to this effort and help create a new model that can lead
the world.”

To date, DISG has primarily operated
online. Going forward, it will incorporate in-person engagement to further
accelerate the development and implementation of concrete public-private
projects.

From dialogue to action, from vision to
execution-
DISG will take the Japan-ASEAN partnership to the next level.

This press release has also been published on VRITIMES