Najib meets Japanese premier in Manila

MANILA: Just hours after arriving in the Philippines' capital for the 31st Asean Summit and Related Summits, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak began his tight schedule by meeting his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
The 30-minute meeting took place at the Crown Tower Hotel where Najib and his delegation are staying.
International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed and Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines Datuk Raszlan Abdul Rashid accompanied the Prime Minister at the meeting.
Officials were tight-lipped on what transpired at the meeting, but brochures of Abenomics, which refers to the economic policies advocated by Abe since the December 2012 general election, were distributed to the Malaysian delegation.
For the past few months, Japan also has been heightening its efforts in its bid to secure the 350-km Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project.
During their meeting in Tokyo in Nov last year, Abe voiced his hope that Malaysia would introduce Japan's bullet train technology when it builds the HSR.
Japan, famous for its Shinkansen high-speed trains, and China are among the keen contenders for the HSR.
The country is one of the biggest investors in Malaysia, with a cumulative investment value of Japanese firms in Malaysia totalling RM52 billion. – Bernama