Opening her remarks, Prime Minister Takaichi recalled her visit to Vietnam six years ago and expressed her wish to return to Hoi An, home to the Japanese Covered Bridge (Nihonbashi), which was restored with Japan’s support two years ago. She described the site as a testament to over 400 years of vibrant trade relations between the two nations across open seas. Building on that spirit, she noted that former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo chose Vietnam as the destination for his first overseas visit after taking office in 2013.
Marking the 10th anniversary of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s introduction of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision in Kenya in 2016, Prime Minister Takaichi reaffirmed its continued relevance, particularly as ASEAN adopted its own Indo-Pacific Outlook (AOIP) in 2019, sharing similar core values.
Amid evolving structural changes in the international order, such as intensifying geopolitical competition, rapid technological innovation, and the rise of the Global South, Prime Minister Takaichi announced an updated FOIP framework focusing on three priority areas including building economic infrastructure for the AI and data era and strengthening energy and material supply chains; jointly creating economic growth opportunities through public-private partnerships and rule-sharing; and enhancing security cooperation to ensure regional peace and stability.
