Takaichi to make diplomatic debut at ASEAN summit in Malaysia
- Hge News
- Oct 25, 2025
- 2 min read
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office Tuesday, departed for Kuala Lumpur on Saturday as she makes her diplomatic debut during meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations over the weekend.
Takaichi will emphasize the importance of Japan's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" (FOIP) initiative as well as free trade, aiming to demonstrate Tokyo's presence in the region.
In her first policy address before parliament on Friday, she vowed to strongly promote the FOIP initiative — championed by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — as a pillar of the country's diplomatic policy and evolve it in line with the times.
Takaichi has complained to aides that the government has not been doing enough recently to promote the initiative, according to one source.
At a news conference Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that ASEAN, which is in a geopolitically strategic location, holds the key to realizing the strategy.
She also hopes to deepen cooperation with Southeast Asian countries that share fundamental values at a time when China is increasing hegemonic behavior in the Asia-Pacific region.
On Sunday, Takaichi will attend a Japan-ASEAN summit and stress the significance of the rule of law. Japan will host an Asia Zero Emission Community summit jointly with Malaysia. The AZEC framework for promoting decarbonization was proposed in 2022 by then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Takaichi is also expected to hold bilateral talks with leaders of Malaysia and other countries.
With U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled to visit Japan from Monday to Wednesday, Takaichi will return home Monday while ASEAN-related meetings are set to continue until Tuesday, with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi filling in for her.
In her meeting with Trump, she will aim to confirm the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance amid concerns about the U.S. president's unorthodox approach to foreign policy — an approach that has included since-resolved tariff threats and ongoing calls for Tokyo to shoulder more of the costs for its defense.
Trump said Friday that he had heard "great things" about Takaichi, adding that his administration would have a "great relationship" with her.
Before departing Saturday, Takaichi had planned to hold her first telephone call
with Trump, though this was later scrapped due to scheduling issues.
On Thursday, Takaichi will visit Gyeongju, South Korea, to attend an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit. She is also expected to hold talks with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
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