Mr. Yoshihide Suga is scheduled to visit Vietnam and Indonesia in mid-October during his first visit after taking office, according to Japanese government sources.

If the visit takes place, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Kyodo citing sources as of September 30.

Mr. Suga will make the final decision on whether to go on a trip or not after assessing the Covid-19 situation in Japan as well as two Southeast Asian countries where the epidemic has been controlled more stably than other countries

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said face-to-face meetings between leaders play an important role in diplomacy.

The plan to visit the two Southeast Asian countries comes as Japan seeks to strengthen ties with countries in the region, amid rising tensions between the US, Japan's main security ally and China, and

Vietnam and Indonesia are also the first overseas destinations for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after he took office for a second term in December 2012.

After taking office as prime minister on September 16, Mr. Suga telephoned leaders of countries including the US, South Korea, China and Russia, but he also wanted to meet them in person.