Japan Signs Defense Transfer Deal with Vietnam Amid China’s Assertive Actions In Indo-Pacific

This picture taken from a Vietnam Coast Guard ship on May 14, 2014 shows a China Coast Guard ship (L) chasing a Vietnam Coast Guard vessel near the site of a Chinese oil drilling rig being installed at the disputed water in the South China Sea off Vietnam's central coast. The Vietnam National Assembly's deputies, gathered for their summer session, are discussing the escalating tensions with China over the South China Sea's contested waters. HOANG DINH NAM/AFP via Getty Images

On Sept. 11, Japan and Vietnam signed a deal, enabling exports of Japanese defense equipment, vessels, and technologies to Vietnam. The deal aims to strengthen cooperation in defending against China’s expanding military presence in the Southeast Asia regional waters.

The deal was signed in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, during Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi’s first overseas visit after assuming office. Kishi said that the accord signed on Sept. 11 had raised the defense partnership between the two countries to a new level.