Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to visit the Philippines and Malaysia later this week to confirm cooperation toward the success of a special summit with ASEAN leaders in December in Tokyo, the government said Tuesday.
During the planned three-day tour from Friday, Kishida is expected to hold bilateral talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, respectively, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a regular press conference.
Kishida is also likely to deliver a speech at the Philippine parliament to address Japan's basic policy on Southeast Asian diplomacy for the future, Matsuno said.
The envisioned visit to the Philippines and Malaysia would come amid Kishida being slated to host a gathering for three days from Dec. 16 to commemorate 50 years of friendship and cooperation between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The 10-member ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
