Shii talks with Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on September 27 had talks with Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Wardana in Jakarta, exchanging views about the way to create lasting peace in Northeast Asia based on ASEAN's experiences in building peace without using military force.

At the beginning of the talks, Wardana stated that he is certain that Shii's visit to Indonesia will contribute to strengthening the ties between Indonesia and Japan. Shii said, "Although the JCP is an opposition party, we are genuinely glad that the relationship between the two nations has been growing. We will continue to work for further developing bilateral ties."

Regarding the "dynamic equilibrium" the Indonesian government is advocating, Shii said that he understands it as a new concept for creating security in the Asia-Pacific region through efforts to settle international disputes by peaceful means, instead of creating a military balance.

Wardana noted that the central role of ASEAN and the dynamic equilibrium are two key factors for building peace in the Asia-Pacific region. He added that the top priority of the dynamic equilibrium is to resolve disputes between countries through peaceful negotiations based on the spirit of mutual respect.

Shii said, "The JCP is presenting a clear vision of creating an international framework in Northeast Asia such as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC)." Wardana replied that he welcomes the JCP's initiative and he will work to promote cooperation between the ASEAN members and Northeast Asian nations to achieve this aim.

The JCP chair also proposed that the two sides make further efforts to urge the international community to reach an agreement to commence negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention and to bring to a success the next NPT Review Conference scheduled for 2015. The vice minister supported Shii's proposal.

The day before the meeting, Shii also had talks with Indonesian Ambassador to ASEAN Ngurah Swajaya on similar subjects.

Citing the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the ambassador explained about their efforts to formulate a legally binding code of conduct (COC) in the region with China. He stressed that the war-renouncing TAC has been working as the main mechanism to resolve international conflicts peacefully.