Ishiba to Make Diplomatic Debut in Laos

Tokyo, Oct. 8 (Jiji Press)--Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will make his diplomatic debut with a three-day visit to Vientiane, Laos, from Thursday to attend summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Ishiba, who took office on Oct. 1, will attend a Japan-ASEAN summit and a meeting of leaders from ASEAN, Japan, China and South Korea on Thursday. On Friday, he will attend a meeting of the East Asia Summit.

Those regional leaders are expected to discuss security threats from North Korea and China.

"They are important forums where major Indo-Pacific countries gather," Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Keiichiro Tachibana said at a press conference, emphasizing the significance of the prime minister attending the summits.

Ishiba may be asked to explain his proposal to create an Asian version of NATO, an initiative that has caused a stir in Asia.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]