H.E. Mr. Kazuo Kodama, Ambassador of Japan to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) visited ERIA on 27 March 2015, and met Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura, Executive Director of ERIA, and several senior officials of ERIA.

The Ambassador explained the outcomes of the recent OECD Southeast Asia Regional Forum, which Prof. Nishimura attended, and he also explained the outcomes of the recent 1st Steering Group Meeting of the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP).

Prof. Nishimura updated the Ambassador on ERIA's activities in the implementation for ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) post 2015.

The Ambassador and Prof. Nishimura exchanged views on ways to strengthen the relations between ERIA and OECD and facilitate the SEARP based on the Steering Group Meeting emphasis on the need to augment cooperation among partner organizations such as the ADB, APEC, AMRO, the World Bank, UNESCAP, and ERIA to assure greater synergies and relevance of SEARP's work.