Japan agrees to hold summit with ASEAN next year

Kuala Lumpur - A special ASEAN-Japan summit would be held in 2023 to discuss in-depth regional and international issues, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has said.

The PM said he had suggested the event to his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in their meeting in Tokyo on May 27, according to the news agency Bernama.

He said that Japan should make an engagement not only with Malaysia but ASEAN; and Kishida agreed to hold the summit next year.

Ismail Sabri said he also told Kishida that Malaysia would not compromise on any form of threat to its sovereignty in the East Sea.

In handling the complex issue of the waters and involving inter-state relations, all related countries must remain committed to maintaining the freedom of navigation there, he said.