Japan and ASEAN to cooperate in security issues

Japan and ASEAN to cooperate in security issues

Defense officials of Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to strengthen their cooperation to deal with security issues, including piracy and natural disasters.

20 senior defense officials of Japan and ASEAN member countries took part in their first conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.

In the meeting, Parliamentary Defense Secretary, Ryota Takeda said Japan wants to further cooperate with ASEAN not only in economy but also in security issues, as the Asia-Pacific region now faces new challenges such as natural disasters, terrorism and piracy.

Some attendants suggested that countries should share information to effectively tackle piracy off Somalia and the Straits of Malacca as well as natural disasters including Tsunami.

Japan's Defense Ministry which hosted the meeting says that it plans to hold this kind of meeting periodically to strengthen ties with ASEAN.

2009/03/17 16:01(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)

http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_25.html