Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday wrapped up a three-day trip to Southeast Asia, where he sought to strengthen Japan¡¯s security and defense ties with Malaysia and the Philippines, both of which are expected to benefit from Tokyo¡¯s recently launched military aid program.
The visits, Kishida¡¯s first to each country as prime minister, are part of Tokyo¡¯s efforts to expand and bolster its network of security partners amid growing concerns that its defense alliance with the United States won¡¯t be enough to counterbalance China¡¯s growing military might.
At a joint news conference near Kuala Lumpur alongside Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday, Kishida said the two leaders had discussed ¡°accelerating coordination to implement¡± Tokyo¡¯s new Official Security Assistance program ¡ª though it was not immediately clear how much progress the two sides had made.
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