Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a press conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Sept 16, 2020. (CARL COURT / POOL PHOTO VIA AP)

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday that he plans to visit Vietnam and Indonesia next week, which will be his first overseas trip since replacing Shinzo Abe, who stepped down as prime minister for health reasons last month.

Suga unveiled the planned visit at an executive meeting of Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party.

Officials are arranging for Suga to meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Indonesian President Joko Widodo

According to local media, government officials are arranging for Suga to meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Indonesian President Joko Widodo during the four-day trip starting on Sunday.

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Later in the day, Suga and Widodo held a phone conversation, in which the two leaders agreed to strengthen relations between their countries, said the Japanese Foreign Ministry. On Monday, Suga and Phuc affirmed bilateral coordination in the fight against COVID-19 in a phone call.

Vietnam and Indonesia were also the first overseas destinations for Abe after he took office for the second time in December 2012.

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