Japan agreed to transfer technologies for building military ships for Vietnam at a meeting between senior defense officials in Hanoi on Monday.

Koji Yamazaki, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, and Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang, Vietnam’s Deputy Defense Minister in Hanoi. Photo: VNExpress

The information was announced at a meeting between Koji Yamazaki, chief of staff, Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, and Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang, Vietnam’s deputy defense minister, VnExpress reported.

They agreed that the delegation exchange mechanism, cooperation between services and arms, and cooperation in military medical training are spotlights of the bilateral defense cooperation.

The two sides also reached consensus on collaborations in other fields as bilateral defense cooperation is one of important contents in the Vietnam-Japan Extensive Strategic Partnership.

In the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Defense Cooperation and Exchanges signed in October 2011 and the Joint Vision Statement on Defense Cooperation towards the next decade signed by the two defense ministries in April 2018, the bilateral defense cooperation has been promoted by both sides in an effective manner.

Over the past years, boats and aircraft by the Japan Self-Defense Forces arrived at Vietnam’s ports and worked with Vietnam’s air force and navy. Meanwhile, ground force, air force, and navy of both countries have worked closely under counselling mechanisms.

Japan has also provided training courses for Vietnamese military personnel while Vietnam supported activities in the framework of the Vientiane Vision proposed by Japan to strengthen ASEAN-Japan defense cooperation and encouraged Japan’s participation in different regional cooperation mechanisms.

Earlier on February 21, the defense aspect of the relationship was in the headlines again with a defense consultation meeting in Tokyo co-chaired by Vietnam’s Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh and his Japanese counterpart Nishida Yasunori, as  per Prashanth Parameswaran wrote for The Diplomat.

At the event, the two sides agreed to boost aspects of defense ties including exchanges of delegations, UN peacekeeping, cyber security, search and rescue, and settlement of post-war consequences, according to the senior editor.