The President of the Look East Policy Society examines the progress and future of a policy that took off in 1982.

Isrami Ismail, President of the Alumni Look East Policy Society (ALEPS)

History and Achievements of LEP
2022 had been a remarkable one for the Look East Policy. Malaysia celebrated the 40th anniversary of the policy last year, and we’re looking forward to the next 40 years of growth and development.

Malaysia has come a long way since the implementation of the Look East Policy (LEP) through a close collaboration with Japan in 1982. The transformation of the nation from an agricultural-based economy to one that is now largely industrial and technological, thanks in part to its various partnerships with Japan.

The Malaysian graduates that have been dispatched to study in Japan played an important role in transforming the nation. The Look East Policy has helped create closer ties between Malaysia and Japan through trade relations and business collaborations.

ALEPS as an Alumni
Under the Look East Policy, Malaysian students have been given the opportunity to study in Japanese Universities and Colleges yearly since 1982. More than ten thousand students have pursued their studies in Japan under this policy. Alumni Look East Policy Society (ALEPS), which was established in 1988 with the support of JPA and the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, is the alumni that has gathered all of the LEP graduates and acts as a bridge to promote activities under the Look East Policy.

ALEPS has contributed hugely by helping Malaysia develop into an industrial nation. During the early phase of LEP, Malaysian graduates from Japanese universities act as knowledge workers, who with the knowledge of Japanese language and Japanese ethics were able to assist with the inward foreign direct investment from Japan into Malaysia. This has been an attraction point for Japanese investors into Malaysia.

As times change, our alumni members have now gone into various career opportunities as they are not only focused to work with Japanese related Industries, but have also branched out to work in public services, including policy-making positions and lecturing at public universities. It is indeed a positive trend as we understand that in order to really develop our nation, we need to not only develop the industry itself but also to develop our policies, our education system and all that are related. This can be done by roping in the LEP graduates to work on policies, education and awareness.

Is Japan Still Relevant?
Some may ask whether Japan is still relevant with the rise of new economic giants like China. Should we change our perspective and learn from those countries instead of Japan? The answer is quite simple. When the government started the LEP in 1982, it was not only based on Japan’s position as one of the world’s economic giants.

It was not only based on Japanese technology. The most important aspects that we look at were the hows and whys behind Japan’s ability to become an economic giant and develop their own technology in a very short period of time. After the end of World War Two, Japan’s economy was in shambles. They did not have abundant natural resources that can sustain their economy. What they had was the fighting spirit and dignity. This is what they have always been known for, the “samurai spirit”. With that spirit shared among their people, Japan evolved rapidly and was able to rebuild their country in a very short period of time.

These are the values that Malaysians need to learn from Japan. The way they educate their people to have the right and positive values and how to work towards their goals. Most of us may have heard about how efficiently the Japanese manage their time, to the extent that their trains’ annual total delay time is less than 1 minute.

Our limited number of trains with their numerous issues make us look left behind in comparison. Most of us may have seen how the Japanese football fans in the recent World Cup clean the stadium after the match voluntarily. In Malaysia, we still struggle to educate people not to litter or to clean their own table at fast food restaurants after dining in.

The Japanese industry has a lot to offer in terms of their management style. Starting from activities such as Kaizen and 5s, these concepts have been implemented not only in local manufacturing companies but also in many government agencies to help improve productivity.

Japan is in fact a good role model for Malaysia to imitate in our journey towards becoming a developed nation. The Land of the Rising Sun has gone through rapid modernization while preserving and respecting their traditional values. Traditional values still play a very significant and important role in their community.

How LEP Benefitted Malaysia
Throughout the 40 years of LEP, the policy has seen enormous support from the Japanese government. Education and training were given priority with support from Japan in developing the Centre for Instructor and Advanced Skill Training (CIAST), Malaysia Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT) and Japan Malaysia Technology Institute (JMTI).

There are numerous other projects such as port development, dam construction, sewerage and water projects, highways, power station, Maritime enforcement projects, support for people with disabilities under JKM and biodiversity conservations. In fact, the list would be too long if we were to mention every single one of them.

In terms of economy, Japan has always been a good partner to Malaysia. Both of Malaysia’s national car projects began life with the support of Japanese automotive companies. Japan has always been one of the biggest trade partners to Malaysia, with over 150 Japanese companies having a presence in this region with a total trade amount of RM95.46 billion in 2021.

From a Recipient to a Partner
The Look East Policy will continue to be an important policy to both nations in the next 40 years. As mentioned by His Excellency Takahashi, ambassador of Japan to Malaysia, the relationship between Malaysia and Japan has evolved. Starting off as a donor-recipient relationship, Malaysia has now developed so much that Japan view our nation as a partner. Even though Malaysia has still a lot of learning to do from Japan, Malaysia too is not lacking in knowledge and experience that can be offered to Japan.

As the Japanese face issues with their aging population, they have begun to open their country and welcome more foreigners to work as well as travel in Japan. This means Japan now have people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, which the Japanese have very little experience in handling. Malaysia, as a multi-racial country can lend its experience having a diverse population living together while respecting each other’s differences. A very good example of exchange of experience and knowledge is on how the Japanese are learning about Halal and vegan hospitality from Malaysia.

In terms of education, although Japan has a world class education, the Japanese education system was strictly limited to Japan and their universities has never had any campus outside of Japan. But thanks to the LEP, Japan has chosen Malaysia as their first partner country to have Japanese higher education institution branches. This year, a private animation college, Nippon Designer School opened their branch in Sunway. A top public university in Japan, Tsukuba University, is now in the process of opening their first overseas branch campus in Malaysia. All these are in line with Malaysia’s vision of becoming an educational hub in this region.

2023 marks a new chapter of Malaysia’s Look East Policy. With cooperation and trade growing stronger under Malaysia’s new government, we are confident that these relationships will lead to greater economic opportunities and stronger bilateral relation for both nations.