Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba left for Malaysia and Indonesia on Thursday as he seeks to strengthen maritime security cooperation with the two Southeast Asian countries in an apparent effort to counter threats from China.
"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.
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.
Except for a visit to South America to attend international conferences in November, the tour of the two Southeast Asian countries marks Ishiba's first overseas trip since taking office in October.
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