Japanese Prime Minister meets top Vietnamese official To Lam

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has arrived in Viet Nam, the first leg of his four-day tour of Southeast Asian nations.

His trip includes Viet Nam and the Philippines. He is scheduled to tour an industrial complex in Viet Nam where many Japanese companies operate, and to hear from officials about the impact of tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump's administration.

Ishiba plans to meet with Vietnam's top leader, Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, on Sunday evening, and then with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday. The Japanese leader seeks to reaffirm the importance of maintaining multilateral free trade. Ishiba also hopes to underscore the importance of a free and open international order based on the rule of law and to strengthen security cooperation with Viet Nam.