TOKYO, Dec 17 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will join his Asean counterparts in the Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit today, among the highlights of his five-day visit to Japan.
Except for Myanmar, leaders from the 10-member grouping have arrived in Tokyo for the summit. Additionally, Timor Leste is also taking part.
The Malaysian Prime Minister, who flew into Japan on Friday (December 15) was the fifth Asean leader to arrive at the venue, with the first being Timor Leste Premier Xanana Gusmao. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida greeted all leaders.
The half-day summit will commence at 9.30am at Okura Hotel and continue until the Joint Vision Statement and Implementation Plan is adopted at 1.35pm.
Joining Anwar at the summit are Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, its Secretary-General Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin, its Asean-Malaysia National Secretariat Director-General Datuk Zanariah Zainal Abidin, and Ambassador to Japan Datuk Shahril Effendi Abd Ghany.
This summit is the culmination of commemorative activities in 2023, celebrating the 50th Year of Asean-Japan Friendship and Cooperation. The commemorative events began with symposiums in Jakarta, Indonesia, in February and Tokyo in March.
Throughout the year, both the private and public sectors on both sides have organised numerous events and projects to mark the 50th anniversary. These included the Asean-Japan Business Week in June, the Asean-Japan Special Meeting of Justice Ministers in July, and the Asean-Japan Tourism Ministers’ Special Dialogue in October.
After the first session, Anwar is expected to hold a brief bilateral meeting on the sidelines with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at 11.20am before continuing with the second session at 11.50am.
In the afternoon, he will be interviewed by two Japanese media outlets: the Jakarta Bureau of Asahi Shimbun at 3.30pm and Nihon Keizai Shimbun at 4:15pm.
Following these engagements, the Prime Minister Anwar will attend the Pre-Gala Commemorative Lighting Ceremony with his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, followed by a gala dinner at 7pm, hosted at the same hotel where the summit was held.
— Bernama
