Anwar, fellow Asean leaders attend Asean-Japan commemorative summit

TOKYO: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will join his Asean counterparts in the Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit on Sunday (Dec 17), among the highlights of his five-day visit to Japan.

Leaders from the 10-member grouping, except from Myanmar, have arrived in Tokyo for the summit. Additionally, Timor Leste is also taking part.

The Malaysian Prime Minister was the fifth Asean leader to arrive at the venue, with the first to arrive being Timor Leste Premier Xanana Gusmao. All leaders were greeted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The half-day summit is scheduled to commence at 9:30am at Hotel Okura and will continue until the adoption of the Joint Vision Statement and Implementation Plan at 1.35pm.

Joining Anwar at the summit are Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin, Malaysian Ambassador to Japan Datuk Shahril Effendi Abd Ghany and Foreign Affairs’ Ministry Asean-Malaysia National Secretariat Director-General Datuk Zanariah Zainal Abidin.

This summit serves as the culmination of commemorative activities in 2023, celebrating the 50th Year of Asean-Japan Friendship and Cooperation. The commemorative events began with symposiums in Jakarta, Indonesia, in February and in Tokyo in March.

Throughout the year, both the private and public sectors on both sides have organised numerous events and projects to mark the 50th anniversary. These included the Asean-Japan Business Week in June, the Asean-Japan Special Meeting of Justice Ministers in July, and the Asean-Japan Tourism Ministers’ Special Dialogue in October.

After the first session, Anwar who arrived here on Friday, is expected to hold a brief bilateral meeting on the sidelines with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at 11.20am before continuing with the second session at 11.50am.

In the afternoon, Anwar will be interviewed by two Japanese media outlets: the Jakarta Bureau of Asahi Shimbun at 3.30pm and Nihon Keizai Shimbun at 4:15pm.

Following these engagements, Anwar will attend the Pre-Gala Commemorative Lighting Ceremony with his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, ollowed by a gala dinner at 7pm, hosted at the same hotel where the summit was held. – BK