Japanese PM Ishiba champions free trade in Southeast Asia visit

Trip follows Trump tariff shock and Xi's visit to ASEAN countries

20250428 Pham Minh Chinh and Shigeru Ishiba on April 28

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, left, and his Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Minh Chinh, walk during a welcoming ceremony in Hanoi on April 28. © AFP/Jiji

YUICHI SHIGA, TAMAYO MUTO and YUICHI NITTA

April 28, 2025 17:44 JST

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met his Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Minh Chinh, on Monday in Hanoi, looking to bolster support for multilateral free trade frameworks as U.S. President Donald Trump pursues a protectionist agenda through sweeping tariffs.

The trip, which kicked off on Sunday, comes in the wake of Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia earlier this month. The prime minister will also visit the Philippines.