ISTANBUL

Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, is set to make her diplomatic debut at the summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Malaysia.

"If the situation permits," Takaichi will attend the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference on Thursday.

The ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur will run from Oct. 26 to Oct. 28.

Takaichi will later attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, Kihara added.

During the ASEAN summit, "the free and open Indo-Pacific will be further promoted," and this will be a great opportunity to advance cooperation, Kihara said.

Rule-based order "will be something she is going to focus on," he added.

Takaichi herself on Tuesday described both summits as “a great chance to meet many state leaders” and to promote “a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

In addition to internal meetings, ASEAN — a regional bloc of 10 Southeast Asian nations — will hold bloc-level summits with leaders of key dialogue partners, including the US, China, and Japan.

ASEAN was founded in Bangkok on Aug. 8, 1967, and currently includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

US President Donald Trump will fly to Japan after visiting Malaysia, where he will hold his first face-to-face talks with Takaichi during his first trip to Japan in six years.

Separately, the US and Japan are arranging a meeting between new Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. If realized, it would mark the first ministerial gathering under Takaichi, according to a report by Kyodo News.