Japan and Vietnam have agreed to step up defense and security cooperation in the face of China's expanding influence in the region.
Japanese Prime Minister, in his first summit foray since taking office last month, held talks in Hanoi on Monday with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
They set a basic deal that would allow Japan to export defense equipment and technology to Vietnam, but details of the possible sales were not released.
This comes as Japan has been pursuing such agreements in recent years to bolster ties with Southeast Asia and provide a lifeline to its own defense industry.
Suga arrived in Hanoi late Sunday on the first stop of a four-day visit to Vietnam and Indonesia that he says is key to pursuing the "free and open Indo-Pacific" vision for multilateral economic and security cooperation to counter China's growing power and protect sea lanes in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
In a joint news conference after their meeting, Suga vowed his country will "continue to contribute to peace and stability in this region."
Suga and Phuc also signed agreements on cooperation in other areas such as infrastructure, energy, environment and agricultural trade.
Japan is one of Vietnam's top trading partners, with two-way trade of 28.6 billion dollars so far this year, and is also its largest overseas aid donor, providing 23 billion as of 2019 and accounting for more than a quarter of Vietnam's foreign loans.
Suga is the first foreign head of state to visit Vietnam since the global spread of COVID-19.
<Photo: Yonhap News>
