Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting Indonesia and Malaysia in early January, government sources said Monday.
By visiting the two countries, which are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the prime minister apparently aims to confirm cooperation to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, Ishiba will postpone his planned visit to South Korea early next year due to political turmoil in the country since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s temporary declaration of emergency martial law last week.
In Indonesia, a core ASEAN member, Ishiba will meet President Prabowo Subianto, who took office in October this year. The Japanese government has decided to support Indonesia via its official security assistance framework to provide defense goods to like-minded countries, aiming to boost cooperation in the security field with the Southeast Asian country.
In Malaysia, which will assume the ASEAN chairmanship next year, Ishiba is seen confirming cooperation with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim toward summit meetings linked to ASEAN, expected in October next year.
It will be the first time for Ishiba to visit other countries, except for attending international conferences, since he took office as prime minister in October this year.