Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will visit Malaysia and Indonesia from January 9-12, where he will discuss bilateral cooperation and regional issues, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday.
“On January 9 and 12 he [Ishiba] is visiting Malaysia and Indonesia,” Hayashi told a press conference.
Ishiba is expected to hold talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, during which he will reaffirm Tokyo’s intention to further strengthen bilateral ties between Japan and Malaysia, as well as discuss the situation in the region.
In Indonesia, Ishiba will meet with President Prabowo Subianto to discuss ways to expand security cooperation. In January, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani will also visit Indonesia for talks with his Indonesian counterpart.
“Japan respects a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law and cooperation in the Global South in these areas. And these are important destinations for maritime traffic in South Asia, and Japan’s cooperation in South Asia is quite important,” Hayashi added.
The Indonesian president visited Japan in April. During the visit, he and then-Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to advance security cooperation.
