Kishida Departs for Southeast Asia to Meet Leaders

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:34 JST, November 3, 2023

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday left Haneda Airport aboard a government plane bound for the Philippines for a visit to Southeast Asian countries.

Kishida will hold talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos later on Friday, then he will meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim on Sunday, before returning home Sunday evening.

In apparent reference to China’s increasingly hegemonic behavior, Kishida told reporters at the airport, “Through the maintenance of a free and open international order based on the rule of law, we aim for a world in which human dignity is protected, and we are going to affirm these partnerships.”