Volkswacht Bodensee - Japan PM to meet top Vietnam leaders in Hanoi

The trip is Takaichi's first to Vietnam since becoming prime minister in October and she aims to deepen bilateral cooperation on energy security, supply chain resilience and technological innovation, according to Vietnamese state media reports.

She will meet Saturday with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung as well as top leader To Lam, the Communist Party boss who last month also became president.

Japan is Vietnam's largest provider of official development assistance and a key investor and trading partner, with two-way trade surpassing $50 billion for the first time last year.

Both countries share concerns about China's territorial claims in the East and South China Seas, and both have sought to hedge against US-driven trade disruptions by broadening economic and security ties.

But Hanoi aims to stay on good terms with all global powers through its traditional "bamboo diplomacy" approach, while Tokyo has seen its already frosty relations with Beijing deteriorate markedly in recent months.

Takaichi drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing in November when she suggested that close US ally Japan might intervene militarily to thwart any Chinese attempt to take Taiwan.

China, which regards democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to annex it, summoned Japan's ambassador, warned Chinese citizens against visiting Japan and imposed trade restrictions.

Beijing has also slammed Takaichi's calls for a "free and open Indo-Pacific", saying they are a veiled attempt to promote bloc confrontation.

Takaichi will return to the theme in her foreign policy speech on Saturday, according to Japanese media reports, calling for cooperation to ensure security, free trade and stable supply chains including for energy and critical minerals.

She will speak at a university in Hanoi, an event to which foreign media have been denied access.

H.Gerber--VB