Forging closer and more strategic ties with Japan

TOKYO: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is currently in Tokyo, will be working on enhancing ties with Japan and drawing more investors to Malaysia.

Malaysian Ambassador to Japan Datuk Shahril Effendi Abd Ghany said Anwar, on the first day of his five-day working visit, will have a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, where both leaders will announce a comprehensive strategic partnership.

“In the bigger picture, the efforts of both leaders will also contribute towards closer Japan-Asean relations,” he told Bernama at a press conference for the Malaysian media here yesterday.

Anwar and Kishida will also witness the signing and exchange of notes of the Official Security Assistance Grant Aid and the exchange of a Memorandum of Cooperation on space development and application between the two countries, he added.

While in Tokyo, Anwar will join other leaders of the grouping for the Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit tomorrow, and the Asia Zero Emission Community Summit that is working to help the regional grouping set the benchmark in managing emissions.

Anwar will also be meeting top executives of three major Japanese corporations – Rohm Wako, Toshiba, and Mitsui & Co – before adjourning to a meeting with captains of industry in Japan.

Meanwhile, the director-general of the Asean-Malaysia National Secretariat at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Datuk Zanariah Zainal Abidin, said at the end of the summit, the leaders will issue a joint vision statement.

During the summit, themed Golden Friendship, Golden Opportunities, a comprehensive strategic cooperation plan will be rolled out to further strengthen Asean-Japan cooperation, she said.

When asked about the matters that Anwar may raise during the summit, Zanariah did not rule out the possibility that the Prime Minister may take up the Palestine issue where Malaysia wants to see a permanent ceasefire.

Anwar may also want to touch on digitalisation in Asean, which can help empower small businesses and boost Internet penetration in rural areas across the region.

Anwar and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail were accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.