The 15th Asian Statesmen’s Forum was held on August 27, 2017 at GRIPS, Tokyo. This year’s discussion focused on four planned topics: “Transnational Political Islam (Transnational Islam)”; “Return of Conservative Politics and Its Impact on Economy”; “RCEP and TPP 11”; and “The Current Situation, Political and Economic.”

Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi and a number of other Japanese statesmen joined overseas representatives including former ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan and former ministers from Indonesia and Malaysia, and GRIPS President Akihiko Tanaka and GRIPS faculty members. The active and timely exchange of opinions explored the four forum topics in depth and evolved into a free discussion of current political and economic developments in the participating countries. The forum provided a welcome opportunity for an enlightening exchange of perspectives.