Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced on Tuesday that he is embarking on a three-day official visit to the Philippines starting Wednesday, running through October 30, to participate in high-level defense dialogues with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
During the trip, Koizumi will take part in the expanded defense gathering involving ASEAN member nations and dialogue partners like Japan. At the session, he intends to brief regional officials on Tokyo’s ongoing updates to its three fundamental security documents ahead of their year-end revision.
Additionally, he is scheduled to join an exclusive consultative meeting with his defense counterparts from ASEAN countries.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Koizumi highlighted the core focus of his diplomatic mission:
”We will stress the importance of holding dialogue and increasing our ability to prevent conflicts.”
As part of his itinerary, the Japanese defense chief plans to sit down with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, alongside holding separate bilateral discussions with defense leaders from South Korea and the Philippines.