Vietnam, Japan hold first strategic defence dialogue Deputy Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh and his Japanese counterpart Hironori Kanazawa co-chaired the first Vietnam-Japan strategic defence dialogue in Hanoi on November 26. The two sides agreed that Vietnam-Japan relations have deepened in all fields, of which defence cooperation continues to see positive development, meeting strategic partnership agreements between the two countries’ leaders. (Photo: Bao Trung) The sides have built mutual trust and understanding with all-level delegation exchanges, driving effective and practical defence cooperation. To meet future objectives, the two sides agreed upon measures to strengthen defence cooperation in the fields of delegation exchange, training, peacekeeping experience sharing, mine clearance, naval medical care and non-traditional security management. In frank debate, they reached a common perception in participating, consulting and supporting each other at multilateral forums, including the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and solution of sea and island disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law. They agreed to build a roadmap and dialogue mechanism to implement the initiatives and bilateral defence cooperation reached between the two Defence Ministers in October 2011, contributing to a deepening strategic partnership between the two countries. The same day, Kanazawa paid a courtesy visit to Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh. Source: VNA