Japan and Britain agreed on June 5 to launch talks between their senior defence officials on programmes aimed at helping the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members upgrade their maritime capabilities.

A vessel of the Japan Coast Guard

According to Japan’s Kyodo news, the agreement to start consultations by the end of this month in Britain’s capital of London was reached between Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani and his British counterpart Michael Fallon on the sidelines of the 15th Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore.

The support for the ASEAN aims to upgrade their capacity in security and disaster response, according to Japanese officials.

Nakatani and Fallon agreed that the two countries will continue sharing views on the situation in the East Sea.

In a separate meeting with New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee, Nakatani also agreed with him on the importance of the rule of law in dealing with issues related to the disputed waters.

Source: VNA