Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 5th that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering visiting Vietnam and Australia during the holiday period from the end of this month to early next month.
Japan identifies these two countries as “important partner nations in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Prime Minister Takaichi is expected to pursue security cooperation at the upcoming summits in Vietnam and Australia, with China’s military-backed maritime expansion in mind.
Following Prime Minister Takaichi’s remarks suggesting involvement in the event of a Taiwan contingency, China pressured Japan by controlling the export of rare earths. In response, Japan is likely to seek to strengthen cooperation in economic security fields, including the supply chain of important minerals like rare earths, as well as securing energy.
Particularly, as Australia is Japan’s top importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal, energy supply may become a key agenda in bilateral talks.
Yomiuri also reported that Prime Minister Takaichi might express new plans related to the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” policy during this foreign visit.
This policy was initially announced by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whom Takaichi regards as a political mentor, essentially to counter China.
It is known that the new plans from Prime Minister Takaichi will include contents such as strengthening the economic base, achieving economic growth through problem-solving, and security cooperation.
Yomiuri stated that Prime Minister Takaichi will make a final decision on whether to visit these countries after observing the situation in the Middle East.