Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi agreed with Hun Manet, the heir apparent of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, on Tuesday that the two countries will seek to deepen defense cooperation and exchanges, officials said, amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
Hun Manet, the 44-year-old commander of the Cambodian army, was invited to Japan by the Defense Ministry as this year marks the 30th anniversary of Tokyo’s dispatch of Self-Defense Forces personnel to Cambodia, the first time the SDF participated in a U.N. peacekeeping operation.
“This is a significant year for bilateral relations,” Kishi said in his meeting with Hun Sen’s eldest son. “We would like to further promote defense cooperation and exchanges.”
In full: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220216/p2g/00m/0in/012000c
