Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, center, at the ASEAN-Japan summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26 (Takeshi Iwashita)

KUALA LUMPUR—On her first overseas trip as Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi pressed for strengthened security ties with ASEAN countries, mentioning maritime areas where China has heightened its activities.

“We’ve explained our new initiatives in maritime security and in artificial intelligence,” Takaichi told reporters in the Malaysian capital on Oct. 26. “We were able to build a fundamental trust for the cooperation.”

She had just attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference and related meetings. Takaichi also met individually with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for her first one-on-one summit.

Takaichi has said she intends to bolster cooperation between Japan, the United States and the Philippines to contain China’s maritime activities.

After the ASEAN summit, she told reporters, “We’ve frankly discussed our concerns to each other not only on economic cooperation, but also on security.”

At the beginning of the ASEAN-Japan summit, which was open to the media, Takaichi did not specify China by name, but said, “No matter where in the world, we must not tolerate any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo through force or coercion.”

During the meeting, she mentioned the situations in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, where China has taken a more aggressive approach, as well as concerns about Taiwan, sources said.

She also confirmed cooperative progress so far between Japan and Southeast Asia countries in terms of security, economic and human resource exchanges, saying, “We will further promote these efforts, aiming for a stronger and more prosperous Japan and ASEAN.”

In addition, she promised that Japan will continue supporting the maritime security of Southeast Asian countries.

At the Japan-Philippines summit, she said Japan will expand the range of countries it supports, including through the construction and promotion of patrol vessels. Japan will use official development assistance and official security assistance for the support.

She said she would ensure the establishment of a working group to strengthen economic relations among governments.

For the first time in five years, ASEAN issued a joint statement regarding “ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)” that upholds open ocean and rule of law.

The participating countries shared the view that promoting and implementing the AOIP adopted in 2019 will help to maintain the international order.

As a pillar of Japanese diplomacy, Takaichi said that Japan will advocate a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” pushed by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to strengthen ties with Global South countries, including ASEAN members.

The joint statement regarding AOIP issued on Oct. 26 reaffirmed that AOIP and the FOIP share relevant fundamental principles to uphold international law and promote prosperity.

Takaichi also held separate meetings with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

However, she did not meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang because she needed to return to Japan to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

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