TOKYO, Oct 20 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin agreed Monday to strengthen maritime security cooperation, Kyodo News reported.
"Malaysia plays a significant role for regional stability and peace and is Japan's indispensable partner to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific," Koizumi said at the outset of the talks in Tokyo.
Japan relies on Malaysia for imports of energy products, while the Southeast Asian country lies along vital shipping lanes.
"I would like to develop bilateral cooperation and have it contribute to further deepening defence cooperation as a whole," he said.
The Malaysian minister referred to the elevation of the two countries' bilateral relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" in 2023 and said, "I believe our defence cooperation should now reflect the maturity of this relationship."
Japan and Malaysia signed an agreement on the transfer of defence equipment and technology in 2018, which sets rules on the protection of sensitive information and the appropriate management of transferred equipment.
-- BERNAMA-KYODO
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