Japan PM Kishida to visit Indonesia, India for ASEAN, G-20 summits
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to travel next week to attend summit meetings in Indonesia with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and another in India for the Group of 20 major economies, the government said Friday.
During the week-long tour from Tuesday, Kishida is expected to hold bilateral talks with other countries’ leaders, including Indonesia and India, on the sidelines of the summits, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference.
The focus is on whether Kishida will meet with any high-ranking Chinese officials, as ties between the two Asian nations have come under increased strain after Japan began releasing treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, observers say.
In Jakarta, Kishida is likely to affirm Japan’s hopes for the success of an upcoming special summit to commemorate 50 years of Japan-ASEAN friendship, Matsuno said, adding the government approved a plan to hold the meeting in Tokyo for three days from Dec. 16.
At the G-20 summit in New Delhi, Kishida is likely to discuss various global issues, such as food security amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the promotion of digitalization, with other participants, the top government spokesman added.
