(VNF) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife will pay an official visit to Vietnam from January 16^th-17^th.

The visit will be made at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers his speech during New Year’s press conference in Ise, central Japan, Jan. 4^th, 2017. (Photo: Takuya Inaba/Kyodo News via AP)

Mr. Abe will also visit Philippines, Australia and Indonesia on a six-day trip from Thursday (Jan. 12^th), the Japanese government said.

“This trip will further strengthen (Japan’s) cooperative relations with each country as well as emphasizing the importance of building coordination with countries in the Asia-Pacific (region) for a free and open world order based on the rule of law,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference on Wednesday (Jan. 11^th).

Mr. Abe’s first stopover will be the Philippines on Thursday (Jan. 12^th) for talks with the country’s President Rodrigo Duterte, followed by a meeting Saturday (Jan. 14^th) with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull./.

( Compiled by VNF )