| James Kon |
BILATERAL relationships between Brunei Darussalam and Japan as well as international situations and regional cooperation like ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy’ are among issues to be discussed when Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Taro Kono visits the country.
The foreign minister will meet with senior government officials of Brunei Darussalam during his visit which officially starts tomorrow. Kono will be arriving in the country this evening.
He will be the first Japanese Foreign Minister to visit Brunei and Singapore in five years since 2013. Brunei Darussalam will be his first destination in his two-nation tour today to Monday.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, it is critically important for the country to cooperate with Brunei and Singapore in the framework of Asean.
The cooperation will materialise the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy based on the rule of law as both Brunei and Singapore attach importance to the maritime order.
In 2016, Brunei Darussalam’s export of Liquefied Natural Gas to Japan amounted to $2,211.6 million while from January to November last year, the figure was at $1,937 million.
Coinciding with the Japanese Foreign Minister’s visit to Brunei, three Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) overseas training cruise ships will dock at the Muara Commercial Port for a four-day goodwill visit starting tomorrow.
The three cruise ships comprise the JS Sawagiri (DD-157), JS Yamagiri (DD-152), and JS Yamayuki (TV-3519).
During the visit, the crew of the ships will participate in sports interaction, a ship tour with the Royal Brunei Navy officers and a beach clean-up in Muara.
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