With the momentum of overall Vietnam – Japan relations, defence cooperation will continue to intensify substantively and productively, serving as an important pillar of bilateral ties, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong has said.

The talks between Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong and Chief of Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces Gen. Uchikura Hiroaki on June 1.

He made the remarks during talks in Hanoi on June 2 with Gen. Uchikura Hiroaki, Chief of Staff of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces, who is on an official visit to Vietnam.

Highlighting progress in bilateral defence ties in recent years, Cuong noted that cooperation has been continuously strengthened and expanded as seen in high-level delegation exchanges and engagements, sustained dialogue and consultation mechanisms, training and education, collaboration among military services and arms, United Nations peacekeeping operations, search and rescue, defence industry, maritime security, war legacy settlement efforts, and coordination and mutual support at multilateral defence forums, particularly the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

Expressing confidence in the future of bilateral ties, he said the strong momentum in Vietnam – Japan relations will help further enhance defence cooperation, making it more practical and effective.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global developments and issues of mutual concern.

The host reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, as well as diversification and multilateralisation of international relations.

He reiterated Vietnam’s “Four Nos” defence policy: no military alliances, no siding with one country against another, no foreign military bases or use of Vietnamese territory against other countries, and no use or threat of force in international relations.

Regarding the East Sea issue, he stressed that Vietnam supports the peaceful settlement of all disputes and differences in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and expressed his hope for the early finalisation and signing of an efficient, effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC).

Cuong thanked the Japanese Government for supporting Vietnam’s efforts to address war consequences, including the provision of dioxin and environmental analysis equipment as well as the implementation of a grant project supplying mine-clearance equipment.

Looking ahead, the Vietnamese official proposed that the two sides push ahead with implementing the agreed areas of cooperation, with priority given to delegation exchanges, annual cooperation mechanisms, cyber defence training, UN peacekeeping operations, defence industry, and coordination at international multilateral forums.

He also appreciated the military scholarships offered annually by Japan’s Ministry of Defence to Vietnamese officers and voiced his hope that Japan will maintain and expand scholarship and training programmes, particularly in science, engineering and technology.

Vietnam, he added, stands ready to receive personnel from Japan’s Ministry of Defence and Self-Defence Forces for international defence personnel and Vietnamese-language training courses.

Cuong noted that search and rescue cooperation has made a new stride following the two defence ministries' signing of a memorandum of understanding on this field in December 2025.

Given that both countries are frequently affected by natural disasters, he said the cooperation carries significant humanitarian value and should be translated into concrete activities.

He also invited Uchikura, other leaders of Japan’s Ministry of Defence and Self-Defence Forces, and Japanese defence firms to attend the third Vietnam International Defence Expo, scheduled for December 2026.

For his part, Uchikura thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence for the warm reception and expressed confidence that his visit will help deepen bilateral cooperation.

He affirmed Japan’s hope for both sides to continue implementing the agreed cooperation areas, particularly mutual visits, training, cooperation among military services and arms, and UN peacekeeping operations, thereby further strengthening Vietnam – Japan defence ties.

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