Japan, Vietnam Agree to Cooperate on Security; Foreign and Defense Authorities of Both Countries Meet for First Time in Five Years

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Takehiro Funakoshi, Japan’s senior deputy minister for foreign affairs, and Nguyen Minh Vu, permanent deputy minister of foreign affairs of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, shake hands at the Japan-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Dialogue, held at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

Japan and Vietnam agreed to cooperate in the areas of national and economic security at the Japan-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Dialogue, a regular meeting of vice ministers of foreign and defense authorities of the two countries, held at Japan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

This is the first time in five years that this meeting has been held.

At the beginning of the meeting, Japanese senior deputy minister for foreign affairs Takehiro Funakoshi said, “Vietnam is Japan’s key partner in realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

Nguyen Minh Vu, permanent deputy minister of foreign affairs of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, responded that the two countries would strengthen their cooperation in the fields of diplomacy and security.