Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung wave during a welcoming ceremony at the Government Office in Hanoi on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to deliver an update of Japan’s decade-old “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy” (FOIP) in a speech in Hanoi on Saturday, as Tokyo looks to shore up regional ties to counter China’s clout.

Takaichi’s speech, which comes amid a visit to Vietnam for talks with its leadership, will see her pledge deepened collaboration on cutting-edge tech and closer economic security ties with Southeast Asia, while also expressing Japan’s determination to play an even bigger role in securing a global rules-based order, according to Japanese officials.

The prime minister, who is visiting Hanoi for the first leg of a trip that will also take her to Australia, will specifically call for cooperation on artificial intelligence tech, undersea cables and energy security amid the war in Iran.…