Japanese PM Ishiba arrives in Malaysia for two-day official visit

SEPANG: Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrived here today for a two-day official visit to Malaysia, his first visit to the country since assuming office in October 2024.

The special aircraft carrying Ishiba, his wife Yoshiko, and the Japanese delegation landed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here at 5 pm.

Present at the Bunga Raya Complex to welcome Ishiba were Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Shikata Noriyuki.

Upon arrival, Ishiba walked passed a guard of honour mounted by 28 officers and personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Ranger Regiment (Ceremonial) led by Capt Muhammad Iskandar Dzulkarnaen Doa @ Hasan.

According to a statement from Wisma Putra, Ishiba will be accorded an official welcome at the Perdana Putra Complex, Putrajaya, followed by a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tomorrow.

Anwar and Ishiba are expected to review the progress of Malaysia-Japan bilateral relations, particularly in areas such as trade and investment, human resource development, and energy cooperation, during the meeting.

They are also expected to exchange views on various regional and international issues of common interest including the situation in the Middle East before holding a joint press conference, said Wisma Putra.

Anwar will also host a luncheon at the Seri Perdana Complex in honour of his visiting Japanese counterpart.

Malaysia's ties with Japan have grown from strength to strength with the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in December 2023.

Japan is a key economic partner for Malaysia, with a total of 2,821 manufacturing projects involving Japanese participation implemented in Malaysia as of June 2024. These projects represent investments worth RM105.2 billion (US$30.4 billion) and have generated employment for approximately 344,996 people.

Japan is the fourth-largest foreign investor in Malaysia's manufacturing sector and Malaysia's fourth-largest trading partner, with total trade valued at RM156.75 billion (US$34.41 billion) in 2023.

-- BERNAMA