Japan-Myanmar Defense Ministerial Meeting (Summary)

in Japanese
November 17th, 2019
Japan Ministry of Defense

　On 17th November, 2019, commencing at 4:25 pm (local time) for approx. 25 minutes, Defense Minister Kono, who was visiting Thailand to attend the 6th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), held a meeting with Minister for Defense Sein Win of Myanmar. The summary of the meeting is as follows:

1. Opening

　At the beginning, Minister Kono offered his condolences to the victims of the attack on a military academy in Pyin Oo Lwin and stated that Japan intends to promote defense cooperation between the two countries. In response, Minister Sein Win agreed with this idea.

2. Bilateral Cooperation

  1. 　(1) Minister Kono stated that Japan would like to promote cooperation including personnel exchanges based on “Vientiane Vision 2.0.” In response, Minister Sein Win stated that Myanmar welcomes these efforts.
  2. 　(2) Both ministers agreed to further enhance defense cooperation in broad fields.

3. Regional Issues

  1. 　(1) Regarding the situation of North Korea, Minister Kono emphasized the importance of implementing the UNSC resolutions, and both ministers agreed to continue working together on this issue.
  2. 　(2) Both ministers exchanged views on the situation of the South China Sea, and shared the recognition of the importance of freedom of navigation.