Japan-Malaysia Relations

January 4, 2024

Basic Data

Diplomatic relations:

  • Established in 1957

Number of Residents:

  • Number of Japanese nationals residing in Malaysia: About 24,545 (December 2022)
  • Number of Malaysian nationals residing in Japan: 18,821 (June 2017)

Trade with Japan:

  • Exports: JPY 3,432 billion for 2022 (LNG, electronic devices, chemical products)
  • Imports: JPY 2,166 billion for 2022 (electronic devices, machinery, cars)

Direct Investment from Japan:

  • USD 1,966 million (2022)

Japan's Economic Cooperation:

  • List of Exchange of Notes
  • Loans: JPY 923 billion (Cumulative Total in FY2021)
  • Grants: JPY 15 billion (Cumulative Total in FY2021)
  • Technical Cooperation: JPY 121 billion (Cumulative Total in FY2021)

VIP Visits

From Japan to Malaysia
Year Name
September 2000 Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi
July 2001 Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy TAKENAKA Heizo
January 2001 Prime Minister KOIZUMI Junichiro
October 2002 Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy, and Financial Services
TAKENAKA Heizo
January 2003 Minister of Finance SHIOKAWA Masajyuro
April 2003 Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare SAKAGUCHI Chikara
November 2003 Foreign Minister KAWAGUCHI Yoriko
January 2004 Minister of State for Information Technology MOTEGI Toshimitsu
January 2005 Director General of Defense Agency OHNO Yoshinori
May 2005 Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry NAKAGAWA Shoichi
October 2005 Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry NAKAGAWA Shoichi
December 2005 Prime Minister KOIZUMI Junichiro
Foreign Minister ASO Taro
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry NIKAI Toshihiro
June 2006 Their Majesties Emperor and Empress
July 2006 Foreign Minister ASO Taro
August 2006 Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry NIKAI Toshihiro
August 2007 Prime Minister ABE Shinzo
January 2011 Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications KATAYAMA Yoshihiro
July 2011 Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry KAIEDA Banri
October 2011 Foreign Minister GENBA Koichiro
July 2012 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
HIRANO Hirofumi
July 2013 Prime Minister ABE Shinzo
January 2014 Minister of State YAMAMOTO Ichita
April 2014 Defense Minister of ONODERA Itsunori
May 2014 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
SHIMOMURA Hakubun
August 2014 Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism OHTA Akihiro
August 2015 Foreign Minister KISHIDA Fumio
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
SHIMOMURA Hakubun
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry MIYAZAWA Yoichi
November 2015 Prime Minister ABE Shinzo
April 2017 His Imperial Highness Crown Prince
January 2018 Minister of Justice KAMIKAWA Yoko
Jiuly 2018 Foreign Minister KONO Taro
January 2019 Minister of State HIRAI Takuya
August 2020 Foreign Minister MOTEGI Toshimitsu
March 2022 Prime Minister's Special Envoy ABE Shinzo
October 2022 Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa
November 2023 Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio
From Malaysia to Japan
Year Name
April 2000 Minister of International Trade and Industry, Rafidah Aziz
June 2000 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
September 2000 Deputy Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad
January 2001 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
March 2001 Minister of Defense, Najib Razak
President of the Senate, Micheal Chen
April 2001 Minister of International Trade and Industry, Rafidah Aziz
June 2001 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
October 2001 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
January 2002 Foreign Minister, Syed Hamid
May 2002 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
August 2002 Foreign Minister, Syed Hamid
December 2002 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
June 2003 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
July 2003 Deputy Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad
December 2003 Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad
June 2004 Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad
March 2005 King Syed Sirajuddin
May 2005 Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad
May 2006 Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad
June 2006 Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak
July 2006 Minister of International Trade and Industry, Rafidah Aziz
March 2007 Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak
May 2007 Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad
May 2008 Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad
December 2009 Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin
April 2010 Prime Minister, Najib Razak
May 2010 Minister of International Trade and Industry, Mustapa Mohamed
November 2010 Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin
May 2011 Prime Minister, Najib Razak
June 2011 Minister of International Trade and Industry, Mustapa Mohamed
September 2011 Minister of Youth and Sports, Shabery Cheek
November 2011 Minister of Higher Education, Khaled Nordin
April 2012 Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Peter Chin
Foreign Minister, Anifah Aman
October 2012 King Abdul Halim
December 2013 Prime Minister, Najib Razak
May 2014 Prime Minister Najib Razak
November 2014 Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin
March 2015 Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin
May 2015 Prime Minister Najib Razak
May 2016 Deputy Prime Minister, Zahid Hamidi
November 2016 Prime Minister, Najib Razak
June 2018 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
July 2018 Deputy Prime Minister, Wan Azizah
August 2018 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
Minister of Education, Maszlee Malik
Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke
Minister of Entrepreneur Development, Redzuan Yusof
September 2018 Minister of Defense, Mohamad Sabu
November 2018 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
Foreign Minister, Saifuddin Abdullah
Minister of Economic Affairs, Azmin Ali
Minister of Education, Maszlee Malik
Minister of Entrepreneur Development, Redzuan Yusof
May 2019 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
August 2019 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
September 2019 Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad
October 2019 King Abdullah
April 2021 Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry, Azmin Ali
May 2022 Prime Minister Ismail Sabri
Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry, Azmin Ali
Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah
Minister of Federal Territories, Shahidan Kassim
Minister of Human Resources, Saravanan
Minister of Youth and Sports, Faizal Azumu
September 2022 Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry, Azmin Ali
March 2023 Minister of Economy, Rafizi Ramli
April 2023 Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh
May 2023 Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Zafrul Aziz
July 2023 Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform),
Azalina Othman
December 2023 Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim
Foreign Minister, Mohamad Hasan
Minister of International Trade and Industry, Zahrul Aziz

Cultural Grant (cumulative total fiscal 1975-2016)

  • JPY 1,561.5 million (Cultural Grant Aid)
  • JPY 25.3 million (Grant Assistance for Cultural Grassroots Projects)
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