Hashimoto to visit ASEAN members

Hashimoto to visit ASEAN members

TOKYO (Reuter): Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will visit five ASEAN members next month, the government said yesterday.

Hashimoto would visit Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore from Jan. 7-15 to discuss bilateral and international affairs with their leaders, government spokesman Seiroku Kajiyama told a news conference.

ASEAN, which also includes Thailand and the Philippines, marks the 30th anniversary of its founding next year.

At a summit meeting in Jakarta last week, ASEAN said observer nations Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia would be granted full membership simultaneously.