Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is reportedly coordinating his visit to the Philippines this spring.

It is interpreted as a move to speed up strengthening relations with the Philippines to check China, which is expanding its influence in the South China Sea and East China Sea.

The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 27th, citing a Japanese government official, that Prime Minister Ishiba is determined to visit the Philippines during this spring's Golden Week (April 28 to May 2). It is the first time in about a year and a half that the Japanese prime minister will visit the Philippines since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit in November 2023.

Prime Minister Ishiba is also reported to be considering a trip to other ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, which is at odds with China over the South China Sea, as well as the Philippines.

[Reporter Shin Yoonjae]