Japan to cooperate with Vietnam on maritime security and chemical substance management; Japan to dispatch MSDF minesweeping unit to join drill in the Persian Gulf
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    • According to reports, during his recent visit to Hanoi, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba met with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh and both the leaders agreed to cooperate in ensuring maritime security in the South China Sea region. 1 In the meantime, both the countries have also signed MoUs to enhance cooperation for chemical substance management. This the first time that Japan has signed such an agreement with a country on this issue. Under the agreement, both the countries would try to keep the adverse impact of chemical substances to a minimum as agreed at the 2002 UN Conference on sustainable development. Japan is to help Vietnam in drawing up a plan to implement chemical substance management, create a database and exchange personnel. 2

    In another development, reports noted that the Japanese Ministry of Defense is planning to dispatch a Maritime Self Defense Force (MSDF) minesweeping unit to a large scale multinational exercise led by the US Navy in the Persian Gulf. The exercise is reportedly going to be held from September 16 to 27. About twenty counties, including US allies, are to participate in it. Tokyo hopes that such dispatch would prove instrumental in ensuring the safety of ships in regional sea-lanes, which are vital for Japan’s crude oil transportation. 3

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