Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has left for Vietnam and Indonesia on his first overseas tour since assuming office.
During the four-day tour, Suga is scheduled to meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. He will give a speech on Japan's policy towards ASEAN at a university in Hanoi on Monday.
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide plans to visit Vietnam and Indonesia next week on his first trip abroad since assuming his post.
Government officials are arranging for Suga to meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Indonesian President Joko Widodo during his four-day trip, starting on Sunday.
NHK has learned Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide may visit Vietnam and Indonesia in mid-October if coronavirus situations allow. It would be his first overseas trip after taking office.
Recent infection curves have been relatively stable in the two nations. If Suga visits them, he is expected to meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
The foreign ministers of Japan and Indonesia have agreed to expedite preparations to hold a joint meeting of their foreign and defense ministers soon this year.
Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met Indonesia's Retno Marsudi in Jakarta on Friday. The two countries last held a so-called "two-plus-two" meeting in 2015.