Cooperation with South Korea, Philippines important for regional security, says Japan’s Kishida

April 5, 2024 - 3:57 PM
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the start go their talks at prime minister?s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, 09 February 2023. (Kimimasa Mayama/Pool via Reuters)

 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday he wanted to cooperate with neighbors South Korea and the Philippines and even engage with North Korea to ensure regional security.

“”The current security environment is tough and complex, and we are at a turning point in history,” Kishida said in a group interview.

The Japanese leader spoke ahead of a planned summit next week with U.S. President Joe Biden. The state visit will be the first by a Japanese leader in nine years.

He will also address a joint session of the U.S. Congress, only the second Japanese leader to do so.

— Reporting by Yukiko Toyoda and Sakura Murakami; Writing by Tim Kelly; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman