Jakarta, 20 January 2018: The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia was very honoured to receive a special visit from the Secretary General of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Honourable Toshihiro Nikai, on Saturday 20 January 2018.

Mr Nikai was in Jakarta as the special envoy on behalf of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to celebrate the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties between Indonesia and Japan. Considered the 'father of ERIA' since he conceived ERIA as the 'OECD of East Asia' in 2006, Mr Nikai was pleased with ERIA's progress over the past ten years since it was created.

'It gives me a great pleasure to see that ERIA has extended its activities and received high international recognition as I engaged in the launch of ERIA,' said Mr Nikai.

President of ERIA Prof Hidetoshi Nishimura and the Special Advisor to the President of ERIA Prof Akiko Yamanaka welcomed the delegation. Prof Nishimura acknowledged Mr Nikai's enormous contributions to ERIA, saying that 'the position of ERIA as an international organisation was established with the assistance of Mr Nikai.'

Mr Nikai was accompanied by a delegation that included Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN Amb Kazuo Sunaga, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Indonesia Amb Masafumi Ishii, as well as other diplomats and dignitaries. The new ASEAN Secretary General Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi also joined the meeting. After a meeting in ERIA's Chairman's room to discuss ERIA's past achievements and future plans, Mr Nikai and his delegation proceeded to ERIA's newly opened Information Centre. Mr Nikai viewed ERIA's publications and a short video about ASEAN@50, ERIA's signature project in 2017 with the Philippines government who was chair of ASEAN during its 50th anniversary.

Members of the Delegation

• Hon Toshihiro Nikai, Secretary General, Liberal Democratic Party Member of the House of Representatives
• Mr Koichi Hagyuda, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary of LDP
• Mr Motoo Hayashi, Acting Secretary General of LDP
• Mr Tetsushi Sakamoto, Deputy Secretary General of LDP
• Mr Keiichiro Tachibana, Deputy Secretary General of LDP
• Mr Hideki Miyauchi, a member of House of Representatives
• Mr Toshitaka Oooka, a member of House of Representatives
• Mr Takaaki Katsumata, a member of House of Representatives
• Mr Toru Miki, a member of the House of Councilors
• Mr Shigeki Kobayashi, a member of House of Representatives
• Mr Nobuyasu Nikai, Executive Secretary to SG of LDP
• Mr Hiroto Izumi, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister
• Mr Kazuo Sunaga, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN
• Mr Masafumi Ishii, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Indonesia