Tokyo (VNA) – Japanese media on April 27 extensively covered Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru’s visit to Vietnam and the Philippines, saying he expressed his desire to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian partners and affirmed the importance of maintaining a multilateral free trade system.
Mainichi newspaper reported that Prime Minister Ishiba landed in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, on April 27 and held a meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam, the nation’s top leader.
NHK reported that during a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on April 28, Ishiba is expected to exchange views on issues such as the impact of US tariffs.
According to Mainichi, in response to the tariff measures imposed by the Donald Trump administration, Ishiba reaffirmed the importance of maintaining multilateral free trade and expressed his intention to cooperate in dealing with the situation.
The media outlets stated that during his visit to Vietnam, Prime Minister Ishiba toured a local industrial park where many Japanese companies operate and expressed his intention to take all possible measures to address the impact of US tariffs on Japanese companies operating overseas. Yomiuri newspaper quoted Prime Minister Ishiba as saying that he wants to listen carefully to the opinions and concerns of Japanese companies in the region and make use of them in shaping Japan’s response to the tariff measures.
According to NHK, the PM said that Japanese companies are operating all over the world, especially in Asia and Vietnam. They must not only think about eliminating tariffs on Japan but also consider what will happen to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Meanwhile, the Kyodo news agency reported that Ishiba told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office before his trip that Southeast Asia has experienced significant economic growth and plays an important role in realising a free and open Indo-Pacific. He aims to strengthen personal trust and enhance Japan’s cooperation with the region.
The Japanese government aims to increase its commitment to Southeast Asia, which it views as "geopolitically important" and the world's engine of growth, at a time of "increasing uncertainty" in international affairs, the agency cited a foreign ministry official as saying./.
