KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today called for deeper Asean-Japan cooperation, saying the partnership’s vast potential rests on a foundation of mutual trust, shared values, and decades of friendship.
Delivering his opening remarks at the 28th Asean-Japan Summit, Anwar said Asean looked forward to working closely with Japan to advance a shared vision of innovation, clean energy, and resilient growth.
“I am honoured to welcome Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to her first Asean-Japan Summit. We extend our warmest congratulations on your assumption of office, and we hope that your leadership will bring new energy to our long-standing friendship,” he said.
“With this spirit, I look forward to hearing the views of my esteemed colleagues as we chart a renewed and forward-looking direction for Asean-Japan cooperation,” Anwar added.
Takaichi, who was elected Japan’s first female prime minister on October 21 after winning the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, attended her maiden Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur.
In her opening remarks, Takaichi said Japan seeks to leverage its Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) policy to further strengthen ties with Asean.
She described Asean and Japan’s partnership as one built on a “heart-to-heart connection,” rooted in long-standing cooperation across diverse sectors.
The Japanese leader said Tokyo has consistently supported the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), which shares FOIP’s core principles of openness, inclusivity, and respect for international law.
“It is very gratifying to be able to adopt a joint statement with Asean leaders here today, which forms the synergy between FOIP and AOIP and confirms our commitment to promoting further cooperation between Japan and Asean,” Takaichi said.
She added that next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the FOIP vision first launched by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2016.
“We will use this opportunity to reposition FOIP as a pillar of Japanese diplomacy and evolve it in line with changes in the times,” she said. — October 26, 2025