Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru plans to have one-on-one meetings with regional leaders on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Laos next week.
Ishiba spoke on the phone with US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday, the day after he took office.
After he dissolves the Lower House of the Diet next Wednesday, Ishiba plans to travel to Laos to join the other regional leaders participating in the ASEAN summit.
Ishiba hopes to meet with as many regional leaders as possible on the sidelines of the event.
In addition to arranging one-on-one meetings with Yoon and Albanese, Ishiba is trying to schedule sessions with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
By engaging in summit diplomacy so soon after taking office, Ishiba hopes to underscore his desire to actively contribute to regional peace and stability. He also hopes to start building trust with foreign leaders.