Strengthening Asia-Pacific Security: ASEAN, South Korea, And Japan’s Path To Collaboration – OpEd

In an era marked by increasing power dynamics and fierce competition, the Asia-Pacific region has become a crucial arena for shaping security and prosperity in the twenty-first century.

ASEAN’s steadfast commitment to regional stability, highlighted by its central role in diplomatic efforts, combined with South Korea’s evolving stance and Japan’s strong economic and strategic capabilities, creates a unique opportunity to develop a collaborative security framework grounded in multilateralism and shared norms. The collaboration between ASEAN, South Korea, and Japan is essential for enhancing regional resilience and promoting a rules-based international order. However, ongoing tensions, historical strategic competition, and non-traditional threats present significant challenges that must be tackled through innovative diplomacy and the building of strategic trust. This analysis will evaluate policies and their implications for sustainable regional security.

Over the past decade, ASEAN has experienced consistent economic growth, averaging a 4.1 percent expansion in 2023, despite global challenges. During this period, its digital economy nearly doubled in value between 2020 and 2024. Additionally, two-way trade and investment have strengthened under frameworks such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Meanwhile, the economies of South Korea and Japan remain closely linked, with ASEAN’s two-way trade reaching USD 241.1 billion with Japan and USD 196.6 billion with South Korea. This is complemented by foreign direct investment flows in 2023, amounting to USD 14.5 billion from Japan and USD 109 billion from South Korea. These figures underscore the economic importance of these stakeholders’ share in preserving and stabilizing open markets. The increasing strategic rivalry between the U.S. and China, along with the militarization of maritime domains, has created new uncertainty in regional security for ASEAN. This situation is forcing states to balance their relationships with major powers while striving to maintain neutrality.

Despite these pressures, shared interests foster strong incentives for collaboration. The foundational concept of a Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality has long emphasized conflict avoidance and multilateral dispute resolution. South Korea’s “Global Pivotal State” strategy and Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” vision both support a rules-based system that aligns with ASEAN’s objectives. In practice, economic synergies are evident in foreign direct investment, with Japan contributing USD 14 billion and South Korea USD 10.9 billion to ASEAN in 2023. Additionally, ASEAN-Japan cooperation has led to significant gains in services trade, which surged by 16 percent to reach USD 933.6 billion in 2022, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Longstanding cultural and educational exchanges have revitalized the societal foundation for deeper mutual trust and understanding. Efforts in maritime security cooperation involve patrols, joint information sharing, and fostering familiarity and confidence among participating navies.

Despite these achievements, the path to sustained collaboration faces significant challenges. Historical grievances between Japan and South Korea, unresolved wartime issues, and territorial disputes continue to erode mutual trust at both governmental and societal levels. Meanwhile, ASEAN’s principle of non-interference limits its capacity to address intra-regional security flashpoints, such as the South China Sea disputes, which arise when member states align with external powers. Geopolitically, the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry has created strategic ambiguity for ASEAN as its member states navigate the security guarantees offered by the United States alongside the economic incentives from China.

Furthermore, defense spending by Japan and South Korea has surged in recent years; Japan’s FY2025 defense budget reached a record 8.7 trillion yen (approximately USD 55 billion), while South Korea proposed a budget of 61.59 trillion won (around USD 46.3 billion) for 2025. These increasing defense expenditures are fueling perceptions of an arms race, complicating regional efforts, and contributing to militarization. Traditional non-threats such as pandemics, cyberattacks, and climate-induced disasters generate demand for cohesive responses. However, institutional fragmentation within ASEAN and East Asian forums often hampers rapid collective action. Building consensus across diverse political systems and strategic interests is a challenging and often painstaking process.

Addressing these challenges requires a multi-layered approach that reinforces ASEAN centrality and fosters deeper trilateral cooperation. Trust can be enhanced by establishing a permanent ASEAN–Korea–Japan secretariat tasked with coordinating strategic responses and dialogue during crises, extending beyond existing annual forums. Cooperation in functional domains, such as public health, can build confidence and interoperability through joint pandemic preparedness exercises. Historical reconciliation should be pursued through sustained cultural diplomacy and educational exchanges, including joint history curricula and youth programs that engage civil society.

Revitalizing ASEAN-led mechanisms, particularly the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, through streamlined decision-making and integrated defense and cyber planning, will accelerate collective action. The expanding digital economy partnership, which includes initiatives in 5G standardization and e-payment platforms, can promote inclusive growth and eliminate technological barriers throughout the region. Additionally, transparent planning—encompassing defense strategies and agreed-upon annual budget guidelines—can help mitigate arms race dynamics and create a more stable security environment, fostering lasting peace. Furthermore, multilateral development banks and regional infrastructure funds can enhance resource mobilization and improve resilience against external shocks.

Ultimately, collaboration provides a blueprint for balancing prosperity and power while addressing twenty-first-century security challenges. A trust-based strategic framework promises to secure regional peace and contribute to a more resilient and equitable global order.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own.

References

• Lee, Shin-wha, and Jagannath P. Panda, eds. The United Nations, Indo-Pacific and Korean Peninsula: An Emerging Security Architecture. Routledge, 2023.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Diplomatic Bluebook 2023. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, 2023.
• Baru, Sanjaya, ed. The Importance of Shinzo Abe: India, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific. HarperCollins India, 2023.