Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet agreed Monday to bolster security cooperation, at a time when China has been boosting its military presence in the waters facing Southeast Asia.
The agreement came as some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan have overlapping territorial claims with China in the South and East China seas, although non-disputant Cambodia has close economic and diplomatic ties with Beijing.
At a meeting in Tokyo, held a day after a Japan-ASEAN special summit to mark 50 years of friendship and cooperation on Sunday, the two leaders confirmed that their countries will launch a vice defense minister-level dialogue, the Foreign Ministry said.
It quoted Kishida as saying that bilateral relations have expanded into various fields, including their land mine clearance project for Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion.
Hun Manet, making his first trip to Japan since taking office in August, said he will work together with Kishida toward peace and stability in the region, according to the ministry.
Coinciding with the talks, Japan and Cambodia also exchanged seven documents related to their partnership in areas such as digital and renewable energy, the ministry said.
Kishida wrapped up a series of bilateral meetings for three days from Saturday with ASEAN leaders, who visited Japan to attend the special summit.
With Beijing asserting sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea and swiftly constructing artificial islands with military infrastructure, the focal point of Japan-ASEAN cooperation has shifted from business to security in recent years.
In the East China Sea, meanwhile, Chinese vessels have repeatedly intruded into waters near the Senkaku Islands, controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing. The group of uninhabited islets is called Diaoyu in China.
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