The agreement was announced after Prime Minister Kishida held talks with Prime Minister Anwar near Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) today, according to Kyodo News.
"We have agreed to accelerate adjustments to the implementation of the OSA," Prime Minister Kishida said in a joint press release with Prime Minister Anwar, referring to the funding program, known as official security assistance.
Japan has designated four Asia- Pacific countries, including Bangladesh, Fiji, Malaysia and the Philippines, as OSA recipients, allocating 2 billion yen ($13 million) for the fiscal year through March 2024.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (right) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Putrajaya (Malaysia) on November 5.
In addition, Prime Minister Kishida expressed "deep concern" over unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and the two leaders affirmed their commitment to close cooperation to resolve the issue, according to Kyodo News citing a statement from the Japanese government.
Earlier, speaking at the Philippine Congress in the Philippine capital Manila on November 4, Prime Minister Kishida announced that Japan, the Philippines and the United States are cooperating to protect freedom of navigation in the East Sea as he pledged to help strengthen Manila's security capabilities, according to Reuters.
Kishida arrived in Malaysia on November 4 after concluding his visit to the Philippines. The visit aims to lay the groundwork for a special summit with ASEAN leaders scheduled to be held in Tokyo next month to celebrate 50 years of friendship and cooperation between the two sides.
Prime Minister Kishida told Prime Minister Anwar that he hoped to reach a "new vision of cooperation" at the upcoming summit and the Malaysian leader expressed optimism about the future of ASEAN-Japan relations, according to the Japanese government.
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