Newsfrom Japan
Kuala Lumpur, Oct. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi vowed Sunday to beef up cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the fields of security, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
At a meeting with leaders of ASEAN member states in Kuala Lumpur, Takaichi, who was inaugurated Tuesday, also stressed the importance of an international order based on the rule of law, apparently with in mind China, which is expanding coercive actions in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
Next year will mark 10 years since the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed the free and open Indo-Pacific initiative.
Takaichi, who regards the initiative as her administration’s foreign policy pillar, emphasized the need to further strengthen Japan’s relations with ASEAN nations, located in a strategically important area between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
Japan will expand support for ASEAN nations under its official security assistance program, which includes supplies of defense equipment and other items to like-minded nations, Takaichi said. She also vowed to step up cooperation in disaster response in addition to maritime security.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
