Japan’s new prime minister, Takaichi Sanae, has arrived in Malaysia where the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are meeting.
A government aircraft carrying Takaichi landed in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. It is her first overseas trip since taking office earlier this week.
She will meet with leaders of ASEAN member countries on Sunday.
The new Japanese leader is expected to call for cooperation in the promotion of a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is positioned as a pillar of her foreign policy, with China’s growing maritime assertiveness and economic coercion in mind.
Takaichi also plans to confirm cooperation with ASEAN in a wide range of fields including advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, and the bolstering of supply chains.
In addition, she will attend a Japan-led international conference on carbon neutrality and economic growth.
Arrangements are also being made for Takaichi to hold a series of bilateral summits including with Malaysian Prime Minister and current ASEAN chair Anwar Ibrahim.
The Japanese prime minister will meet US President Donald Trump early next week in Tokyo. She will then travel to South Korea to take part in a meeting of the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
AloJapan.com