Tokyo, Oct. 27 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tuesday that he will visit the Philippines from Wednesday to Friday to attend meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Koizumi will attend a meeting of defense ministers from ASEAN member states and partner countries, including Japan, where he is set to explain the progress in Tokyo’s efforts to revise the country’s three key security-related documents at year-end. He will also hold a meeting with only ASEAN members’ defense ministers. “We will stress the importance of holding dialogue and increasing our ability to prevent conflicts,” Koizumi told a news conference Tuesday. He plans to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from South Korea and the Philippines during the visit. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
