Japan to Enhance Ties with Partners amid China's Coercion

Tokyo, Jan. 8 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hopes to enhance ties with partner countries amid China's coercive behavior, as she is set to receive South Korean and Italian leaders next week.

Her summit diplomacy for 2026 will go into full gear when South Korean President Lee Jae-myung visits her home prefecture of Nara in western Japan on Tuesday.

On Jan. 16, Takaichi is scheduled to hold her first in-person summit with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Tokyo.

Takaichi will thus keep working on developing a multilayered network while the Japan-U.S. alliance remains the cornerstone of her country's diplomacy.

Referring to the upcoming summit with South Korea, a senior official of the prime minister's office said Wednesday, "The surrounding security environment is obviously the same."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]