Despite already close economic ties, a strong political will is crucial for East Asian nations to create a regional community, according to a consensus at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Experts at the symposium also agreed that a broader-based and more public-level trust between Japan and China — where political ties are often complicated by bitter wartime memories — is essential to the regional community building efforts.
Scholars from Japan, China and Thailand took part in the Sept. 28 symposium sponsored by the Keizai Koho Center.