Vietnam-Japan Defense Ministers Meet, Agree to Deepen Cooperation for Regional Stability

On July 13, Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang held talks with Japanese Minister of Defense Koizumi Shinjiro in Tokyo. The two sides agreed to further deepen defense cooperation and strengthen coordination for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Minister Phan Van Giang expressed his pleasure at leading the high-level delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense on an official visit to Japan amidst the increasingly positive development of bilateral relations across all fields. He emphasized that this visit provides an opportunity to materialize the common perceptions of the high-level leaders of both countries regarding defense cooperation, thereby strengthening trust and practical cooperation between the two defense ministries. Minister Koizumi Shinjiro welcomed Minister Phan Van Giang's visit and the holding of talks to evaluate the effectiveness of cooperation over the past time, and to exchange measures to further deepen bilateral defense cooperation in the coming period. In a sincere and frank exchange, both sides acknowledged that Vietnam-Japan defense cooperation has continuously expanded and developed in recent years, achieving many positive results. They agreed to continue coordinating the implementation of agreed cooperation contents, focusing on areas such as: exchange of delegations, cooperation mechanisms, exchanges; cooperation in education and training; defense industry; overcoming war consequences; search and rescue, disaster response cooperation; UN peacekeeping; and mutual coordination and support at international multilateral forums, especially within the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+). Exchanging views on the global and regional situation and issues of mutual concern, Minister Phan Van Giang affirmed Vietnam's consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, and development, while pursuing multilateralism and diversification of relations. He also reiterated Vietnam's "Four No's" defense policy. Regarding the South China Sea issue, Vietnam consistently adheres to the principle of resolving disputes and disagreements by peaceful means, based on respect for international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. He stressed the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the desire for the early signing of a substantive, effective, and efficient Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). Furthermore, Minister Phan Van Giang expressed his sincere gratitude to the Japanese government for its active support in overcoming war consequences and to the Japanese Ministry of Defense for annually providing military scholarships for officials of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense. He hoped that the Japanese Ministry of Defense would continue to provide existing scholarships and expand training types, increasing quotas for university and postgraduate training in science, technology, and engineering for Vietnamese military students. The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense is ready to receive Japanese students for international defense official courses and Vietnamese language training at academies and schools. Highlighting search and rescue cooperation as a very meaningful and necessary endeavor, Minister Phan Van Giang expressed his desire for the search and rescue forces of both sides to continue promoting and realizing the Memorandum of Understanding on Search and Rescue Cooperation (signed in December 2025) through specific and practical cooperative contents. Minister Koizumi Shinjiro warmly welcomed the visit of Minister Phan Van Giang and the high-level delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, affirming that Vietnam is an important partner of Japan in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. He reiterated the recent visits, including Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae's official visit to Vietnam in May 2026, where the two sides announced the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) initiative, and the meeting with General Secretary and President To Lam on the sidelines of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, as well as the official visit of Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff General Uchikura Hiroaki to Vietnam in June. These visits demonstrate the good development of relations between the two countries. Minister Koizumi Shinjiro emphasized that in the context of an increasingly complex international situation, close coordination and strengthening relations between the two defense ministries serve as a fundamental basis for sharing views on issues of mutual concern. Agreeing with Minister Phan Van Giang's remarks, Minister Koizumi Shinjiro affirmed that the Japanese Ministry of Defense will strive with the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense to implement the agreed cooperation contents, thereby contributing to promoting bilateral defense cooperation commensurate with the comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world between the two countries.