ISTANBUL

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba began his official visit to Malaysia and Indonesia on Thursday.

“In an international society where uncertainty is growing, our relationship with Southeast Asia is extremely important,” Ishiba said in a statement before departing for Kuala Lumpur, his first stop, where he will stay until Friday before continuing to Indonesia.

Ishiba highlighted Japan’s focus on security and energy, stating that Tokyo aims to “work to further strengthen cooperation” with Malaysia, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Indonesia, the largest economy and population in the region.

Ishiba is scheduled to hold high-level talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim before flying to Jakarta for discussions with Indonesian President Jokowi Prabowo.

Japan was Malaysia's fourth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade amounting to around $34 billion in 2023.

In a separate statement, Prime Minister Anwar emphasized Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship, noting that it offers a “valuable opportunity to recalibrate our policy positions towards economic pluralism, promote cooperation across multilateral platforms, and make decisions guided by a moral conscience.”

Anwar added that Malaysia aims to “strengthen its geographical centrality this year as a conduit for electricity, talent, and supply chain diversification.”