TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister KAMIKAWA Yoko said Tuesday that she will visit Vientiane, Laos, from Thursday through Sunday to attend meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“I hope to help maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law and spread the principles of observing people’s dignity,” Kamikawa told a press conference.

Kamikawa plans to meet with her ASEAN counterparts and counterparts from Mekong River countries on Friday and attend a meeting with foreign ministers from ASEAN countries, China and South Korea, a foreign ministers’ meeting of the East Asia Summit and a ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday.

She is also expected to hold bilateral talks with officials including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Kamikawa also said that the Japanese Foreign Ministry will deploy officials to Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and India to help Japanese companies expand into ASEAN.

JIJI Press