Japan PM eyes Philippines, Vietnam visits during Golden Week holiday

    TOKYO, March 27 Kyodo - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting the Philippines and Vietnam during Japan's Golden Week holiday from late April, government sources said Thursday, as Tokyo seeks closer ties with the Southeast Asian nations amid China's assertiveness in the region.

    Ishiba is expected to confirm the importance of ensuring a rules-based maritime order, with Beijing's growing presence in the East and South China seas in mind, the sources said.

    The envisaged trips would be the first by a Japanese leader since Ishiba's predecessor Fumio Kishida visited the Philippines in November 2023 and Vietnam between April and May in 2022.

    The Golden Week period runs through early May.

    The plans highlight Japan's increased emphasis on strengthening ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, after Ishiba chose Malaysia and Indonesia as his first destinations to visit for bilateral summits after taking office in October.

    The Philippines is a recipient of official security assistance from Japan that is aimed at strengthening cooperation with like-minded partners through the provision of defense equipment.

    In January, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya visited the Philippines, followed by Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in February. Ishiba's trip would be an occasion to underscore the importance of cooperation bilaterally and trilaterally with their ally, the United States.

    China's military buildup in the South China Sea has raised concerns in the region. While some ASEAN nations are much closer to Beijing than to Tokyo, the Philippines and Vietnam have been locked in territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.

    China continues to send patrol ships to waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The uninhabited islets are administered by Japan but claimed by China.

==Kyodo