Tokyo meets the world: Malaysia

This is my second stint in Japan, which was the first place I was assigned to as a junior diplomat. Coming back to Japan has been like a homecoming, but I’ve noticed a lot of changes too. Japan was already highly developed when I was here [for the first time], but there’s been so much progress since then.

As for Tokyo, during my first assignment they were just filling in the land in Odaiba, and now when you cross the Rainbow Bridge you get this fantastic view. As for social change, more Japanese people are now comfortable engaging with foreigners and society has become very friendly towards foreigners as well.

Tokyo is a very big city and I haven’t been able to cover even half of it in my time here. But what I used to do before the pandemic is drive out of the city, to the suburbs or rural areas in Chiba or Saitama, driving on small roads and just taking in the lifestyle. That’s something I really enjoy.

Malay Asian Cuisine in Shibuya and Yokohama provide great home cooking, and you can also get a similar sort of homey cuisine at Rasa Malaysia in Ginza. Other good options include Penang Restaurant (in Shibakoen) and Malay Kampung (Hatchobori). But Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country, with the Malay majority as well as large Chinese and Indian populations. So Malaysian cuisine also encompasses Chinese and Indian cuisine, which are readily available in Tokyo.

The halal body responsible for the Malaysian certification programme operates a process that’s recognised worldwide, unlike those of some other countries that have similar programmes but are not acknowledged internationally. This has opened up a lot of opportunities for Malaysia in the halal market, and a Malaysian company was even contracted to provide halal meals for the athletes during the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Receiving halal recognition simply opens up a bigger market, since everyone can enjoy halal food. That’s as opposed to non-halal, which excludes Muslims. On that note, [the Malaysian embassy is] currently doing a food promotion programme at the Don Quijote in Yaesu, where Malaysian products are being sold. Those products include durian, which is a bit of an acquired taste – you either like it or you don’t [laughs].

One obvious factor is that our peoples are very friendly towards each other – you don’t want to retire somewhere where you face hostility [laughs]. That said, our facilities are quite advanced too, and the cost of living for retirees is significantly cheaper than in Japan. We have a programme called Malaysia My Second Home that helps foreigners migrate, and this applies not only to retirees but also to people who keep working in Japan at least partially while their family moves to Malaysia.

Another factor is that education in English is readily available and we have many international schools that are easily accessible for Japanese people. But it really comes down to the cost of living: in the 1990s, before the Malaysia My Second Home programme was launched [in 2002], some Japanese would travel to Malaysia over the weekend just to play golf, since the cost of doing so – including flights and accommodation – was cheaper than playing a round of golf in Japan!

We already have an excellent relationship. Back in the ’80s, Malaysia looked at Japan as a model country in matters such as economic development and human resources. In 1982, our prime minister at the time initiated the Look East policy, which involved sending our people here to learn from the Japanese, study their work culture and ethics, to help Malaysia develop.

As for what Japan can do for Malaysia and other countries in the region, it really comes down to Japan being the only Asian member of the G7 [group of wealthy democracies]. That’s a platform where Japan can champion the rights of Asian countries and other developing countries.

Well, the SDGs were endorsed at the United Nations in 2015, but sustainable development itself is something that Malaysia has been addressing for decades, in fields such as the eradication of poverty and sustainable education. And when it comes to renewable energy, the availability of it in Malaysia has allowed Japanese companies including (electronic components manufacturer) Taiyo Yuden to expand their production in Sarawak (a state on the island of Borneo). Interview by Masashi Takahashi, coordination by Hiroko M. Ohiwa.