Japanese Prime Minister Kishida's Final Overseas Trip Before Retirement... Attends Quad Schedule

3 Nights 4 Days Visit to the US... Attending Quad Summit and UN General Assembly Schedule

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida departed for the United States to attend the Quad (the security consultative framework of the US, Japan, Australia, and India) summit meeting held on the 21st (local time) in Delaware. The Quad is a four-nation security consultative body led by the US to check the expansion of China's influence.

According to NHK and Kyodo News, before departing from Haneda Airport on the day, Prime Minister Kishida told reporters, "Through the Quad summit meeting, we intend to further deepen cooperation toward realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific."

After completing the schedule in Delaware, including the Quad summit meeting, Prime Minister Kishida will move to New York to participate in the United Nations General Assembly events and hold bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, among others, before returning home late at night on the 24th.

Kyodo News observed, "This visit to the US will be Prime Minister Kishida's last overseas trip before his retirement," adding, "He also intends to hand over achievements to the next administration through individual meetings with various countries." The Liberal Democratic Party will hold a presidential election on the 27th to decide Kishida's successor.