Semarang, 22 August 2023: Prof Tetsuya Watanabe, President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), attended the 11th East Asia Summit (EAS) Economic Ministers’ Meeting held on 19–23 August 2023 in Semarang, Indonesia. The meeting was also attended by Mr Koji Hachiyama, ERIA’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr Daisuke Tsukao, Deputy Director General for ASEAN and East Asian Affairs and Administration, Dr Intan Murnira Ramli and Mr Salvador Buban, Senior Policy Fellows, Dr Keita Oikawa, Economist, and Mr Jeremy Gross, Director of Capacity Building.

Prof Watanabe presented the study on Driving a Circular Economy Transition Through Digitalisation: A Strategy for Collective Action in East Asia Summit (EAS) Countries. He presented that despite the circular transition being quite complex and challenging, ensuring that the overall digital ecosystem is supportive to the circularity, identifying priorities to encourage circular business models, and capacity building to address the complexities of the digital and circular economy ecosystem can offer tremendous potential for the region’s long-run development and ability to meet global sustainability goals.

ERIA’s support and contribution to East Asia were then recognised and commended in the Chair’s Statement of the 11th East Asia Summit (EAS) Economic Ministers’ Meeting paragraph 5:

“5. The Meeting commended the continuous research support that Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) contributes to economic integration in the East Asian region. The Meeting noted ERIA’s paper on “Driving A Circular Economy Transition Through Digitalisation: A Strategy for Collective Actions in East Asia Summit (EAS) Countries”, which highlights the importance of digitalisation as a driver of a more circular economy.”