The Japan Malaysia Association has announced the publication of the book “The 40 Years of Look East Policy 1982-2022,” and held the book launch event with Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia on 22 November 2022.

The book is written by Akiko Kato, a former Staff Writer for the Mainichi Newspaper and currently the Executive Director of Japan Future Leaders School, and commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Look East Policy advocated by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia.

While the book looks at the post-war policy in Malaysia, which aspired to turn the country from an agricultural to an export-oriented industrial economy through the Look East Policy, the author explains the fundamental aspect of the policy that focused on the education; 8,900 students went to study in Japan with the government sponsorship as well as more bureaucrats and scholars.

The copyright of this book is wholly owned by the Japan Malaysia Association and we have decided to make it available on the below link.  Please click on the below photo to download the PDF.