Japan PM Shinzo Abe to visit Malaysia tomorrow

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan is to make a two-day official visit to Malaysia beginning Thursday in conjunction with his tour of Southeast Asia which also includes Singapore and the Philippines.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Abe was scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on bilateral, regional and international issues.

The two leaders were also expected to discuss the direction of Malaysia's 'Look East' Policy of emulating business ethics from Japan and focus on widening of economic development based on the priorities of the two countries, it said.

This second visit of Abe to Malaysia is seen as strengthening bilateral ties and stepping up cooperation towards enabling Malaysia achieve its vision of becoming a high-income nation by 2020.

Abe first visited Malaysia in August 2007 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations.

Japan is one of Malaysia's major trading partners in the East Asian region, second after China, and third in the world, with total trade to the tune of RM145.32 billion in 2012.

In terms of investment, Japan was the biggest foreign investor from 1980 to 2012, with the value of investments touching US$22 billion that created more than 300,000 jobs.