Japan PM to visit Vietnam, the Philippines

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters reacting after a Japanese negotiator held ministerial talks at the White House regarding U.S. tariffs, at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Franck Robichon/Pool Photo via AP)

TOKYO: Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (pic) will visit Vietnam and the Philippines from Sunday (April 27), officials said, as Tokyo seeks to ramp up regional ties after Donald Trump's tariff onslaught.

Ishiba's trip comes after China's President Xi Jinping conducted his own South-East Asia tour, with Beijing trying to position itself as a stable alternative to the United States as leaders battle to counter Trump's levies.