Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrived in Vietnam on Sunday, kicking off a four-day trip that will also take him to the Philippines to boost security and economic ties with the Southeast Asian countries as China extends its reach in the region.
It is Ishiba's third visit to Southeast Asia since taking office in October and comes as the fast-growing bloc has been rattled by U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs and an escalation of trade tensions between the United States and China.
"We hope to further strengthen security cooperation" with the two Southeast Asian countries, Ishiba told reporters before departing Haneda airport in Tokyo, highlighting China's "unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force" in the East and South China seas.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (L) shakes hands with Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary To Lam before their talks in Hanoi on April 27, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Noting that Trump's tariffs would have a "large impact" on the economies of both Vietnam and the Philippines, Ishiba also said he plans to hear from Japanese companies operating in the two countries so he can address their concerns and opinions through government policies.
In Hanoi, Ishiba met with Vietnamese leader To Lam, general secretary of the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party. Lam said bilateral relations have been strengthened "in all fields comprehensively."
Before the talks, Ishiba visited an industrial park in the capital where over 100 Japanese firms have production bases, and listened to local executives' views on possible impact of the "uncertain" global economic environment, Japan's government said.
On Monday, Ishiba will meet with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, planning to convey Japan's intention to provide Vietnam with defense equipment under its "official security assistance" program launched in 2023 targeting like-minded partners for support, according to Japanese government sources.
An outcome document is expected to be released after the talks between Ishiba and Chinh, which are likely to touch on economic cooperation and setting up a dialogue framework between the two governments' foreign and defense officials, the sources said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (2nd from L) holds talks with Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary To Lam (2nd from R) in Hanoi on April 27, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
During his stay in Manila from Tuesday, Ishiba will hold talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and is expected to agree to start discussions on an intelligence-sharing pact and to hold joint drills by the two countries' coast guards.
Japan has been ramping up security ties with Association of Southeast Asian Nations members in recent years as China intensifies its military activities in the resource-rich South China Sea, home to important shipping lanes.
Vietnam and the Philippines, along with some other ASEAN members, have overlapping territorial claims with China in the same sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.
Japan shares concerns over China's maritime assertiveness, as Chinese coast guard ships have repeatedly entered waters around the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed uninhabited Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
While Trump's moves since returning to power have cast uncertainty over the global economic outlook, including through a barrage of tariffs, Chinese President Xi Jinping has recently visited Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, which have been deepening their cooperation with Beijing through its signature Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his wife Yoshiko arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on April 27, 2025, on the first leg of their four-day trip that will also take them to the Philippines. (Pool photo) (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Many ASEAN members have been among U.S. trade partners targeted by Trump's tariffs, with Vietnam facing a so-called reciprocal levy of 46 percent and the Philippines, a U.S. security ally, facing 17 percent.
A reciprocal tariff on Japan, another close U.S. ally, has been set at 24 percent.
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, a Foreign Ministry official said.
Ishiba visited Laos in October, on his first overseas trip as the prime minister, to attend a series of ASEAN-related summits. He also traveled to Malaysia and Indonesia in January for bilateral talks.
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