Ishiba Begins Tour of Malaysia, Indonesia

Tokyo/Kuala Lumpur, Jan. 9 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday morning left for a tour of Malaysia and Indonesia, aiming to strengthen his country's security cooperation with the two Southeast Asian countries in an apparent effort to counter threats from China.

He arrived in Malaysia on Thursday afternoon local time.

Through the trip, the prime minister also hopes to beef up economic ties between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose member states have significant growth potential.

"In an increasingly uncertain international community, I'd like to attach greater importance to our relations with Southeast Asia than ever before," Ishiba told reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo ahead of departure. "The important thing is that to develop a trusting relationship with this region, which determines the form of security framework," he emphasized.

Ishiba is scheduled to hold talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Malaysia on Friday and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Indonesia on Saturday.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]