Arab News Japan

Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio held a summit meeting with his Malaysian counterpart Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Friday, which was followed by a ceremony for the exchange of notes signed between the two countries.

The meeting and ceremony were also attended by officials including Minister of Justice FURUKAWA Yoshihisa (the ceremony only), Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology SUEMATSU Shinsuke (the ceremony only), Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry HAGIUDA Koichi (the ceremony only) and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary ISOZAKI Yoshihiko, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

As 2022 marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Japan and Malaysia and the 40th anniversary of the Look East Policy, Kishida welcomed the signing of the Memoranda of Cooperation regarding specified skilled worker, youth and sports exchange, and aircraft industry, while concurring the start of discussions on establishing industrial policy dialogue between the two countries. 

During the meeting, Kishida expressed his willingness to enhance cooperation with Malaysia and the priority areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) toward realizing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). He added that the Look East Policy is the cornerstone of the development of Malaysia as well as the relations between the two countries. 

In response, Sabri expressed his appreciation to Japan for the support that it had extended, which “greatly” contributed to the development of Malaysia and discussed ways to further strengthen the existing cooperation and Strategic Partnership between Japan and Malaysia.

Kishida also said that he hoped for an early opening of the University of Tsukuba campus in Malaysia. Sabri responded by emphasizing the significance of opening a branch of the campus and said that he had instructed an early opening. 

While discussing the “Asia Zero Emissions Community” vision, Kishida expressed his plan to cooperate with Malaysia in areas such as realistic energy transitions of Malaysia, digital, cyber security, 5G and supply chain resilience, all of which will aid in the enhancement of bilateral relations.

Regarding the invasion of Ukraine, Kishida said that “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine violates respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is stipulated in the UN Charter and the ASEAN Charter, and shakes the very foundations of the international order, including Asia.” Both leaders confirmed that aggression against any country is unacceptable, and decided to work together to mitigate the impact that the invasion has had on the global economy, while simultaneously attempting to improve the humanitarian situation.