This article will highlight the long aftermath of the issue of plastic waste in the Indo-Pacific region, where in 2016 six countries in the Indo-Pacific region joined ASEAN to become a country that contributes 243 million tons of plastic waste to the oceans, and in 2019, Japan and China became the largest contributors to plastic waste. Urgency raised about this issue then encouraged Japan to join ASEAN to make cooperation to overcome the problem of plastic waste. In this regard, the author gives his main argument in looking at this issue where the cooperation between Japan and ASEAN has been successful in having a significant impact on both efforts to reduce the problem of plastic in the Indo-Pacific Sea region.
Plastic is indeed a main commodity material that is often used by people to make household goods. Plastic is used as the main commodity because of its durable, lightweight, inexpensive, and versatile properties (Wright, 2020). However, behind all the benefits it has, plastic tends to be used only once; this is also what then raises widespread social and ecological problems in the aftermath of The length of this problem is the emergence of problems regarding the environment that are serious; one of them is at sea.
One of the areas threatened by pollution and ecosystem damage due to plastic waste is the Indo-Pacific marine area. This problem threatens to grow—plants, all marine animals, and the quality of minerals in the sea. Waste disposal: According to ESCAP (2022), most of them are carried out by six countries in the Indo-Pacific region, namely Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore, especially in 2016, when these countries are recorded to contribute plastic waste that reaches 243 million tons.
Not only these six countries, but Japan is allegedly together with China as a contributor of plastic waste, with a considerable amount going to the ocean in 2019, where it is recorded in the accumulation zone, or what is called the North Pacific Garbage Patch (NPGP), that more plastic waste is obtained from fishing equipment, with a percentage of 33.6 percent based on data taken from the research project Ocean Cleanup.
Both in terms of ASEAN and Japan, each of them has tried and even issued a policy to respond to the problem of marine plastic debris, where ASEAN itself in 2021 launched a document entitled ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris, which is a framework that can be done by countries in their regional areas to overcome problems regarding marine debris in the Southeast Asian region, and this is also later well received by countries in the region for adopting the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris to their respective countries’ policies.
From the side of the Japanese government itself at the G20 Summit in Osaka in 2019, the government of Japan successfully proposed the “Osaka Blue Ocean Vision,” wherein at the Osaka Summit, the leaders who agree to be involved in the execution of this vision have the goal of reducing pollution due to plastic waste to zero by 2050 through a comprehensive cyclical approach to life. Through this initiative, Japan also launched the “Marine Initiative,” which focuses on waste management, marine debris recovery, innovation, and empowerment.
Through this initiative, Japan also provides support in plastic control through the Countermeasure II project. Through this project, Japan contributed 627 million yen and has established a group of experts in Southeast Asia to provide scientific knowledge that is related to the problem of marine plastic waste. In addition to providing assistance and the formation of experts, specifically for ASEAN, Japan specifically provides support and capacity building and carries out activities to provide support regarding related developments with capacity and increased public awareness for environmental conservation.
Specifically, in 2022, through the Japan-ASEAN Integrative Fund (JAIF), Japan has provided assistance to strengthen efforts to reduce marine debris by formulating national action in the ASEAN countries mentioned earlier. By The specific assistance provided is expected to be used to overcome problems regarding microplastics and water pollution; on the other hand, the assistance provided is expected to be used to monitor and reduce fishery marine debris.
For Japan itself, the cooperation carried out with ASEAN countries is also related to the ODA (Official Development Assistance) project owned by Japan. Through this project, Japan conducts training for participants from thirteen ASEAN countries to learn about global trends, and one of the topics Include the theme of awareness of marine debris.
In addition, if you look further, many of the outputs of the cooperation are assembled between Japan and ASEAN, such as a program that specifically discusses training for waste management and how to overcome the problem of sea waste, measures that are a way to promote the reduction of marine debris, coordinate regarding this marine debris problem with various stakeholders or responsible stakeholders, as well as promote plastic waste resistance actions in the Asian region and also the Pacific region.
From the cooperation that has been carried out, it can be known and identified that both Japan and countries in the ASEAN region have interests regarding the ocean, and the interests of this interest can be realized in one way by making policies and programs. This problem and urgency then drove Japan, by working with ASEAN, to carry out cooperation. The cooperation carried out is also harmonious if it is put into the theory stated by Buzan and Waever that a securitization process will be formed if countries that have interests in it cooperate with each other to deal with the problems faced.
Cooperation between ASEAN and Japan in efforts to reduce plastic waste in the ocean is an important strategic step to address the problem of plastic pollution that is more urgent. The Indo-Pacific region, including ASEAN countries, is one of the largest contributors to marine plastic waste in the world, which has an impact on ecosystem health, the sea, and people. In this context, Japan and ASEAN have launched various initiatives, including the “Joint Statement Japan Cooperation on ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific,” which emphasizes the importance of collaboration in addressing this issue. Through training, waste management, and the promotion of marine debris management, both parties are trying to increase public capacity and awareness about the impact of plastic waste.
The Bangkok Declaration on Marine Debris Eradication in ASEAN is also an important milestone in this cooperation, with a focus on policy harmonization and engagement with various stakeholders. Despite challenges such as capacity gaps between member states and weak law enforcement, this collective effort demonstrates a commitment to powerful cross-border efforts to overcome environmental problems. By involving the private sector and civil society, as well as leveraging knowledge-based strategies, this is expected to produce effective and sustainable solutions to reduce the negative impact of plastic waste in the ocean. Although some countries in ASEAN are still included in the list of countries that contribute large but undeniable amounts of plastic to the oceans, cooperation between Japan and ASEAN provides awareness and change from the patterns and behaviors of several communities.
