With pledges to deepen security and economic cooperation, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba wrapped up a four-day visit to Malaysia and Indonesia on Saturday designed to shore up ties with Southeast Asia as China expands its regional clout and Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House.
During Ishiba’s first overseas trip aside from international conferences, the prime minister met with Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, both of whom agreed to work more closely with Japan — not only in the more traditional economic, investment and energy arenas, but also on security matters.
Experts said Ishiba’s decision to prioritize Malaysia — this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an organization critical to Tokyo’s regional interests — and Indonesia — the region’s largest country and economy — was no coincidence.
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