Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Thursday to set up a research center on digital innovation at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, aiming to enhance reliable data collaboration and utilization in the region.
At the three-day Group of Seven summit through Sunday in Japan's western city of Hiroshima, the leaders from the advanced economies confirmed the importance of security in data collaboration involving personal information and intellectual property across borders.
Kishida made the latest proposal regarding digital innovation in a speech at an event in Tokyo. The research institute of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is based in Indonesia's capital of Jakarta.
Earlier in the day, Kishida held bilateral talks at his office with Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
Kishida told Thongloun, who became president in March 2021, that Japan will make efforts to promote infrastructure investment in Laos, as the two countries will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2025.
The two leaders also agreed to work together toward the success of the planned summit in Tokyo in December to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ties between Japan and ASEAN.
Laos is scheduled to become the rotating chair of the regional bloc next year, taking over from Indonesia. ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
