Takaichi vows support for int'l order, economic security in Indo-Pacific

HANOI - Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi vowed Saturday to take an active role in building international order and economic security in a speech on the next stage of the free and open Indo-Pacific, with an eye to China's increasingly assertive moves in the region.

The speech marking 10 years of the Japanese initiative followed talks with Vietnam's leaders in Hanoi, where they agreed to boost economic security cooperation including via Japanese aid for oil procurement, as Japan is deepening its ties with Southeast Asian nations to secure energy resources amid the Middle East crisis.