During Golden Week, around the first week of May, Japanese politicians will usually spend time at home with their constituencies and families. Not the prime minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, however. He knows full well that as the world's third-largest economy, Japan's wider diplomatic and security profile in the era of great disruption with the Russia-Ukraine war must be underlined. No time to waste.
His five-nation tour will take him to the UK, Italy, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. During his visit to Bangkok from May 1-2, he has two main objectives: to highlight the importance of Thai-Japan relations and to rally support for Ukraine. Mr Kishida, who was a foreign minister in the Abe administration, understands the dynamic regional and international diplomacy very well. After all, he was credited for strengthening Thai-Japan relations during the most difficult time after the 2014 coup. He is a strong supporter of rules-based international order, which has benefitted Japan throughout the seven decades since World War II.
