Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara held separate meetings with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his counterpart, Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang, on Tuesday during a visit to discuss security cooperation with the Southeast Asian country.
During the meeting with Chinh, the Vietnamese prime minister praised the cooperation between the two countries in various fields and urged the two defense ministers to further strengthen defense cooperation including training, technology exchange, equipment assistance and cyber security.
Kihara told Chinh that his visit was to strengthen bilateral ties and enhance defense cooperation in areas of mutual interest, national television VTV reported.
Before stopping in Hanoi, Kihara held talks with senior officials in Cambodia, a key ally of China, during his tour of Southeast Asia.
Tokyo is troubled by China's aggressive maritime claims, as are several Southeast Asian nations, and has sought to counter Beijing's diplomatic and economic outreach. (my/uh)
