Japan PM visits Viet Nam, attends welcome ceremony in Hanoi

Japan's Prime Minister SanaeTakaichi met top Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi on Saturday, inking multiple agreements ahead of a speech where she is expected to lay out her vision for a "free and open" Asia-Pacific region.

The trip is Takaichi's first to Viet Nam since becoming prime minister in October and she is seeking deeper bilateral cooperation on energy security, supply chain resilience and technological innovation. The two countries agreed to work more closely on "economic security including energy, important mineral resources, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and space".