Secretary-General of ASEAN meets Japan's newly-appointed ministers to reaffirm strategic partnership

TOKYO, 20 September 2019 – The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dato Lim Jock Hoi, met with several newly-appointed Japanese Cabinet Ministers during his recent trip to Tokyo on 19-20 September. This was the Secretary-General’s third visit to Tokyo this year.

In the two-day working visit, Dato Lim met the Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Toshimitsu Motegi; Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Isshu Sugawara, Minister of Environment Shinjiro Koizumi;  Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Taku Etoh, and Vice-Minister for Health Yasuhiro Suzuki

Dato Lim expressed appreciation for Japan’s support and contribution to ASEAN in various fields and also congratulated their successful chairmanship of the G20 this year, which saw the participation of four ASEAN Member States, i.e. Indonesia who is also a G20 member, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Dato Lim looked forward to working closely with Japan to deliver new opportunities for the region while addressing emerging challenges brought about by heightened uncertainty, new technology, ageing population, and climate change, among others.

In his visit, the ASEAN Chief also called on several members of the National Diet, high-level officials and private sector representatives including Toshihiro Nikai, Keizo Takemi, Fujio Mitarai, Sadayuki Sakakibara, and Nobuhiko Sasaki.