Press Releases
Meeting between Foreign Minister MOTEGI and Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN
March 5, 2026
On March 5, commencing at 4:50 p.m. for approximately 15 minutes, Mr MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN. The overview of the meeting is as follows:
- Minister MOTEGI welcomed Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn’s visit to Japan and underscored that Japan attaches the importance to its relationship with ASEAN, which serves as the cornerstone for realizing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). He also expressed his determination to further strengthen the ASEAN-Japan cooperative relationship as “Trusted Partners” with "heart to heart" connections.
- In this regard, as the international situation faces changes, such as the increasingly prominent challenges to the existing international order, Minister MOTEGI stated his intention to further enhance coordination with the “ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)” while respecting ASEAN’s unity and centrality and to advance cooperation to make Japan and ASEAN stronger and more prosperous together.
- In response, Secretary-General Kao Kim-Hourn expressed high expectations for further strengthening cooperation between Japan and ASEAN in the future. The two sides concurred to continue to work closely together in various areas, including disaster prevention, climate change, and others.