Japan's Ministry of Transport has demonstrated the sway it holds in the region by bringing together Asia-Pacific's senior aviation administrators for watershed discussions aimed at forging closer cooperation on air transport policies.
At presstime, officials from at least 17 nations in Asia and Oceania were preparing to meet on January 31 and February 1 in Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital, for what is widely regarded as the most significant aeropolitical summit ever held in the region.
In what amounts to a coup for Japan's MOT, the People's Republic of China is also sending a delegation: not only is there strong rivalry between the two countries, but Beijing rarely participates in regional aviation gatherings.
Officials of the international air transportation division of the Japanese ministry stress the move is not aimed at forming a strategic bloc to counter regional groupings in Europe or North America. The initial gathering - talks will be in held in private - has a general agenda, including discussion of aviation development within the region and trends in air transport policy.
But delegates have been told to raise any issues they want to address and it is almost inconceivable that bilateral relationship problems with the rest of the world will be ignored. Ironically, the forum is on the eve of a critical round of negotiations in Tokyo between Japanese and US officials over their shaky bilateral relationship.
Japan hopes the gathering - known as the Regional Forum on Air Transportation in Asia and Oceania - will be the first of a continuing series of talks leading to future coordination of air transport policies among nations in the region.
The MoT sent out 17 invitation to the summit and received acceptances from the People's Republic of China, Australia, Brunei, Fiji, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, The Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
At presstime Indonesia, Laos and Papua New Guinea had yet to indicate whether they would attend and only Cambodia had declined.
Tom Ballantyne
Source: Airline Business
