Although the relationship between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has largely been an economic affair until now, it will cover political and security concerns in the years to come, according to ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong.
Ong said that calls for antiterror cooperation have mounted in the wake of a series of international terrorist attacks, including last year's bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
"Over the years, this area has been sensitively handled, given Japan's (pacifist) Constitution and public opinion," Ong said in an interview Monday with The Japan Times. "But as a result of international terrorism, there is a need to ask ourselves whether we can do more in this area."