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Japan can help ASEAN integration

East Asian leaders will hold their first summit in Kuala Lumpur this week, but the region lacks a clear vision of its common future and the often-discussed idea of an East Asian economic community remains vague, experts from ASEAN countries and Japan told the Dec. 2 Keizai Koho Center symposium.

While East Asia has achieved a substantial degree of economic integration through market forces, successful creation of an institutional framework for a regional economic community depends on political will and the leadership of governments, they said.