By Samantha Tan<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, Jan 18 (NNN-BERNAMA) \u2013 Malaysia-Japan relations, which saw tremendous progress since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1957, will be elevated to a new level, with the Look East Policy (LEP) 2.0 paving the way to a vast range of opportunities, says Malaysia\u2019s Ambassador-Designate to Japan, Datuk Kennedy Jawan. By Samantha Tan PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, Jan 18 (NNN-BERNAMA) \u2013 Malaysia-Japan relations, which saw tremendous progress since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1957, will be elevated to a new level, with the Look East Policy (LEP) 2.0 paving the way to a vast range of opportunities, says Malaysia\u2019s Ambassador-Designate to Japan, Datuk Kennedy Jawan. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":5999,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[215,288],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5987"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
He said both governments were set to play a crucial role in ensuring that efforts under LEP 2.0 bore fruit.
\u201cThe LEP 2.0 will continue to enhance institutional cooperation in training and education, with
Kennedy said the initial LEP, mooted in 1982 continued to be one of the best policies that the country benefited from, and remained relevant,
LEP, the brainchild of Prime Minister Tun
Due to the LEP\u2019s success, the policy\u2019s scope was diversified and expanded to include other new peripheries which led to the new wave of LEP 2.0.
Japan is a key trading partner for Malaysia. It is Malaysia\u2019s fourth largest trading partner, while for Japan, Malaysia is its 11th largest trading partner in the world, and fourth among ASEAN countries after Thailand, Vietnam
Kennedy pointed out that the LEP 2.0 should be viewed from a broader perspective as this initiative not only created opportunities while boosting
Therefore, he said, three potentials which would be highlighted under the LEP 2.0 were the halal industry, education
In the halal sector, he believed Malaysian investors and companies should take advantage of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Halal Cooperation, signed between Malaysia and Japan at the end of last year.
This, he said, would open markets for Malaysia to promote its local halal products and services.
\u201cLooking ahead with the hosting of the Osaka Rugby World Cup this year, Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and Osaka World Expo 2025, these events present opportunities for Malaysian companies to showcase, promote and supply their products and services in Japan, as well as the international community,\u201d said the 57-year-old Sarawak-born diplomat.
Kennedy said Malaysia could provide assistance and share its experiences and expertise in halal development with Japan, not only in
On the Industry 4.0, he said Malaysia looked forward to
The ambassador-designate said Malaysia aspired to generate sustainable and inclusive growth by transforming the nation to fully prepare for the Industry 4.0 under the country\u2019s National Policy on Industry 4.0.
To this, he noted, it would create an environment to encourage investments in automation and information technology.
\u201cSome of the potential sectors that Malaysian companies should focus in tapping the Japanese market and vice-versa are aerospace, halal foods and services, technology related to renewable energy, healthcare
Under LEP 2.0, Malaysia hopes to facilitate the adoption of the Industry 4.0 in a systematic and comprehensive manner, driven by its own tech-savvy workforce under the training, education
In terms of investment from Japan, Kennedy said Malaysia wished to place itself as Japan\u2019s strategic partner for smart manufacturing, high technology industries and solution provider for manufacturing in the sectors of, among others, electrical and electronics, medical devices, machinery and equipment, chemicals as well as aerospace.
\u201cWe have the infrastructure to cater to these industries. Malaysia is also cooperating with existing Japanese companies in Malaysia, for example, Sony, Panasonic, Konica Minolta, Daihatsu, Sharp, Hitachi
Furthermore, Malaysia\u2019s impressive performance in the World Bank\u2019s Doing Business 2019 Report, which saw its ranking advance nine places to 15th spot in 2018 from 24th in the previous year among 190 economies worldwide, will further provide confidence and renewed interest from the Japanese.
On people-to-people contacts, Kennedy said the tourism industry had proven to be the most effective tool.
Therefore, he added, Malaysia should be focusing more on tourism promotion in order to boost the industry, thus further enhancing people-to-people exchanges with not only Japan but also other countries worldwide.
\u201cMalaysia could also enhance people-to-people exchanges through education, particularly under the training programmes involving government officials, manufacturing workers as well as language teachers.
\u201cIn Japan, I will make it a point to promote Malaysia\u2019s arts, culture
–NNN-BERNAMA
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