In its contemporary history, which can be considered having started in 1945, Japan has achieved the remarkable performance of having most of the time recorded trade surpluses. This result is all the more impressive that it has been mainly driven by exports of goods, almost constantly on the rise since the Japanese economic take-off in the 1950-1960s, despite limited local availability of raw materials and, after 1980, a stagnant population.

European integration, in its contemporary shape, began with a speech. 9 May, the date chosen for Europe Day, does not indeed relate to a battle or a treaty but to the so-called “Schuman declaration”, in which French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman unveiled 63 years ago his proposal of a European Coal and Steel Community to ensure that “any war between France and Germany [would become] not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible” and thus to open the way for “the coming together of the nations of Europe”. While listening to former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Hong Kong for this year’s Asian Investment Conference, a European could hardly refrain from comparing the two speeches as the Japanese leader’s inspiring tone and the features of his East Asian Community plan recall in many aspects the declaration which gave birth to today’s European Union.

Essay on the topic “Which ASEAN country will see the biggest improvement in its business environment in the next five years? Why?” and awarded for the Project Firefly - Emerging Leaders 2013 competition.