BANGKOK -- Visits to Sri Lanka and the Maldives by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi over the weekend signal Tokyo's commitment to greater engagement in the Indian Ocean, where its strategic partner India is up against China in a contest for influence.
Hayashi's stopover in Colombo on Friday through Saturday, followed by a Sunday trip to Male, is part of a six-nation tour of developing countries in South Asia and Africa. His journey, which started in India and ends with visits to South Africa, Uganda and Ethiopia, underscores Japan's new diplomatic push in the so-called Global South.
