Abstract: In late 1950s, Japan quicky rose after returing to the international community. The economy of Japan revived and entered the fast lane of rapid growth. The Kishis cabinet proposed the concept of “Asian Development Fund”, which aimed to set up a regional complementary economic order dominated by Japan through integrating the resources of Southeast Asia, the technology of Japan, and the capital of the United States. In the process of promoting this idea, Kishi identified Japan as “Asian leader”, and sought to win Southeast Asian countries trust by economic diplomacy and postwar compensation. Meanwhile, Kishi tried to persuade the United States to invest in the Asian Development Fund as a “senior partner” in the name of anticommunism and aiding Southeast Asia. However, this attempt failed due to the distrust of Southeast Asian countries and the United States.

Key words: Asian Development Fund, regional economic order, Nobusuke Kishi, JapanU.S. relations, exploiting Southeast Asia