ABSTRACT

East Asian Community (hereafter referred to as “EAC”) is a dream as well as a reality. It is, on the one hand, an ongoing process or a multidimensional project. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN; Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) +3 (South Korea, Japan, and China) as “the most elaborated form of regionalism” (Evans 2002, 137) organized and composed only by East Asian countries, has played significant roles for the last 20 years. Furthermore many political, economic, and cultural leaders continue to stress the desirability and necessity of building EAC. Two years ago in 2009 when former Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama announced the policy of EAC, East Asians were greatly encouraged, expecting the earlier coming of EAC. With the strengthening of economic and cultural exchanges and ties among East Asian countries, EAC is becoming more and more a possible reality.