The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, set out on Friday (April 29, 2022) on an eight-day tour that will take him through various countries in Southeast Asia as well as through Italy and Great Britain and which will deal with coming to terms with the war in Ukraine and in Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
Kishida will begin his tour in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, and later travel to Italy and Britain, in a trip that will last until May 6, the Japanese executive announced the previous day.
The goals of his trip are to “openly exchange views on the situation in Ukraine,” to “confirm” “cooperation” on this issue, and “to work together to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Kishida said on Friday before a flight before the media to Jakarta, the first stop on his journey.
The Japanese leader added that he will try to promote “the protection of the peace” during his visits, during which he is expected to discuss the situation in Burma or China’s military rise with other leaders.
In Indonesia, Kishida will meet with President Joko Widodo to discuss Russia’s possible participation in the G20 summit scheduled for November in Bali, in addition to cooperation on infrastructure and energy investments or on how to deal with the pandemic, diplomatic sources said.
His subsequent visit to Thailand also coincides with the 135th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations and with the presidency of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) territory in 2022.
As he travels through Europe, Kishida has scheduled meetings with British and Italian Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Mario Draghi, with whom he will discuss cooperation in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In late May, alongside Tokyo, Japan will host a summit of leaders from the Quad, the group of countries made up of Australia, the United States and India whose agenda is also expected to be dedicated to the war in Ukraine, while China’s role in the new order is emerging globally .
gs (efe, reuters)