Japan's Abe in Malaysia talks

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Friday aimed at deepening economic ties and ensuring security in the piracy-hit Malacca Strait, an official said.

Abe arrived with his wife Akie, business delegates and senior government officials late Thursday for his first official visit to Malaysia, a nation his grandfather Nobusuke Kishi visited on its independence 50 years ago.

After a formal welcome, Abe was ushered behind closed doors Friday for talks with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"Abe will emphasise human resource development and the need to deepen economic ties... This is reflected by our 240-member business delegation who are accompanying him," a Japanese foreign ministry official said.

The official, travelling with the Japanese leader, also said that there would be talks on "the fight against terrorism," including in the vital Malacca Strait sea lane.

Sporadic pirate attacks in the strait have sparked concern that the waterway could be a target for terrorism, with Malaysian police in June warning of a "real and possible" threat.

Half of the world's oil shipments pass through the Malacca Strait, with Japan receiving much of its oil via the waterway, which is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Green energy is also on the table, the official said, with Japan hoping to work with Malaysia to produce biodiesel from palm oil.

Business delegates -- including top officials from Toyota, Canon, Honda and Mitsubishi -- will be keen to discuss the oil and gas industry and developing a metropolitan transport system here.

Abe is on the last leg of a three-nation tour. He has visited Indonesia and India, and will return to Tokyo Saturday morning.