Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand will travel to Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur this week as Ottawa accelerates its Indo-Pacific strategy. The trip, announced Monday, aims to “deepen Canada’s strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region,” the government said. In Tokyo, Anand is scheduled to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi. Officials on both sides are working to conclude a bilateral Security of Information Agreement that would broaden defence information-sharing and support expanding trade ties. Anand will then attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Post-Ministerial Conference Plus Canada in Kuala Lumpur on 10–11 July. Canada hopes to use the gathering to advance negotiations on a free-trade agreement with the 10-member bloc, building on a 2023 strategic partnership. The mission underscores Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push to diversify economic and security links beyond the United States. Ottawa says it has deployed more than 70 additional diplomats to the region since the Indo-Pacific strategy was unveiled in 2022, and notes that the area already accounts for roughly 10.5 % of Canada’s merchandise exports.