Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made her in-person diplomatic debut Sunday, joining a summit of Southeast Asian nations in Kuala Lumpur, where she looked to put fears of a more hawkish approach to China on the backburner and embrace policy continuity toward the region.
The new Japanese leader, who only took office last Tuesday, lauded progress made between Tokyo and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations but said more could be done to promote “peace and stability” in the region — words widely seen as aimed at China, which is embroiled in disputes over parts of the South China Sea with several ASEAN member states.
Takaichi also pledged to beef up cooperation with ASEAN nations under Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) strategy.
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