PANO – The current visit of two Japanese self-defense training ships to Vietnam has demonstrated the growth in defense relations and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.

Two training warships of the Japanese maritime self-defense force anchored at Cam Ranh international port in Khanh Hoa province on April 12 to start a four-day visit (April 11-15) to Vietnam.

Representatives of the Vietnamese National Defense Ministry, Navy, local military forces, and civilian authorities hosted a warm reception for the two Japanese vessels and the 500 officers and sailors onboard.

At the reception, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Fukada Hiroshi read a letter from Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen. The Japanese Defense Minister sent his greetings to the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, the Navy, and the local government. He also expressed his wish to foster the bilateral defense ties between Japan and Vietnam.

The Japanese Defense Minister also highlighted Cam Ranh International Port as the best of its kind in the region. According to him, the port with its strategic and favorable position in Cam Ranh Bay, will become a very important logistic services supplier for international military and civilian ships operating in the region.

The visit of the Japanese vessels took place when bilateral Vietnam-Japan relations, including defense ties, have seen positive new developments within the framework of the profound Vietnam-Japan comprehensive partnership.

During the visit of Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to Japan in September 2015 and the visit of the Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen to Vietnam in November 2015, leaders of the two countries agreed to boost bilateral defense ties.

The visit of these two Japanese vessels is a concrete move to realize the agreements. Such activity aims contributes to strengthening mutual understanding, trust, and cooperation between the two defense forces, in general, and between their navies, in particular.

As scheduled, the command and crew of the Japanese vessels will pay a courtesy call to the Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee and the Command of Naval Zone 4. The guest command will also host a tour of the vessels for local civilian and military officials. Next, sailors of the two countries will join in sporting and cultural exchanges. On leaving the Vietnamese port of Cam Ranh, the Vietnamese and Japanese delegations will conduct a search and rescue training exercise and practice the code of unplanned encounters at sea (CUES).

The People’s Army Newspaper Online would like to present a number of images of the visit:

Two Japanese vessels of JS ARIAKE  và JS SETOGIRI anchoring at Cam Ranh international port
Reception for JS ARIAKE  and  JS SETOGIRI
The Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam checking the squad of honor of the two Japanese vessels
Multifunction helicopter SH- 60K on the vessel
Air-to-surface missiles on the helicopter
Torpedo system
Surface-to-surface missiles
Surface-to-submarine missile system
Surface-to-air missile system
Surface-to-air artillery
Anti-vessel 76mm artillery
Translated by Thu Nguyen