Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will visit Laos this week to attend summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in his diplomatic debut as a national leader, a government spokesman said Tuesday.
According to Kyodo News, Ishiba, who took over as prime minister on October 1, will join some of the meetings in Vientiane involving the 10 ASEAN members, China and South Korea, among others, for two days. starting Thursday, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Keiichiro Tachibana said at a news conference.
“The series of meetings will confirm that Japan, as a trusted partner, will strengthen cooperation with ASEAN,” Tachibana said.
Ishiba will deliver messages on Japan’s stances on regional and global issues at the “important” Indo-Pacific leaders’ forum, the spokesperson added.
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On the sidelines of the meetings, Ishiba will also try to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of the two East Asian neighbors, as well as ASEAN members, according to Japanese government sources.
Ishiba was elected prime minister in the Diet after winning the leadership race of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party late last month, following former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s sudden announcement in August that he would not run for re-election as LDP chief. .
Before leaving for Southeast Asia, Ishiba plans to dissolve the House of Representatives on Wednesday in view of a general election scheduled for October 27.
Source: https://reporteasia.com/relaciones-diplomaticas/2024/10/08/primer-ministro-japones-ishiba-laos-cumbres-asean/
