
HANOI -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged on Monday to help Japanese companies diversify their supply chains across Southeast Asia, making a case for tighter economic cooperation to countries wary of China's growing influence in the region.
"Japan will further strengthen cooperation with ASEAN to increase the resilience of supply chains and build economies in Asia that are resilient to crises," Suga said in a speech at Vietnam-Japan University here, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.