TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed Wednesday to deepen cooperation on defence and energy, citing shared concerns over China’s maritime claims and disruptions from the Iran war.
Takaichi highlighted a mutual focus on maritime security and said the two countries will continue joint military exercises and explore further Japanese provision of military hardware. Japan last year supplied Malaysia with a diving support vessel and communications equipment.
Anwar praised Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific initiative and announced a 20-year deal between Malaysia’s Petronas and Japan’s Jera Co for 2 million tonnes of LNG annually starting in 2028. Japan currently sources nearly 15 percent of its LNG from Malaysia, its second-largest supplier after Australia.
The leaders also agreed to enhance cooperation on critical minerals, noting Malaysia hosts a major rare-earths processing plant and is expanding its capacity amid investment from China. Talks came amid strained Japan‑China relations, which have included Chinese curbs on exports of key materials and technologies to Tokyo.