TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Vietnamese President To Lam are expected to affirm deeper energy security cooperation in talks on Monday, as Tokyo seeks stronger ties with regional partners with an eye on economic pressure from China.
A joint statement from their meeting in Tokyo is expected to be released, according to diplomatic sources, including possible agreements on nuclear and gas-fired power generation projects, as part of Japan's efforts to support the fast-growing Southeast Asian country in strengthening its energy supply network.
The meeting comes about six months after Takaichi visited Vietnam and discussed economic security amid the Strait of Hormuz's effective closure in the ongoing Middle East conflict and Chinese controls on exports to Japan, including of rare earth minerals.
In May, the countries agreed to make Vietnam's Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex the first project under a Tokyo-led financing framework aimed at ensuring stable energy supplies for Asian nations with limited strategic oil reserves, and to strengthen supply chains for rare earths in Vietnam.
On security, Japan hopes for Vietnamese support for its diplomatic vision of a "free and open Indo-Pacific," seen as a counter to China's growing assertiveness in the region. An evolved version of the concept was launched in a speech by Takaichi during her visit to Vietnam.
Japan and Vietnam face territorial claims by Beijing in the East China Sea and South China Sea, respectively.
Despite the territorial disputes, Vietnam takes a multidirectional approach to foreign policy, seeking to maintain a balance in relations including with China.
Ahead of the meeting with Takaichi in the capital's State Guest House, Lam is set to address House of Representatives lawmakers at Japan's parliament.
Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly are on a four-day visit to Japan through Wednesday, when they will meet and have lunch with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the Imperial Palace before returning to Vietnam.
