Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is visiting Vietnam , met with Vietnam ‘s Prime Minister Hook at the Prime Minister’s Office in Hanoi on the morning of the 19th. This is the first time that Prime Minister Suga has face-to-face meetings with foreign leaders since taking office. In a joint press release after the meeting, Prime Minister Suga revealed that he had virtually agreed to conclude an agreement that stipulates the conditions required of the partner country when exporting defense equipment and security technology produced in Japan. ..

　At the meeting, discussions were held on the promotion of Japan’s foreign policy “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)”, which expands cooperation with countries that share values ​​such as the rule of law, with a view to China. He also provided support for the outlook for the Indo-Pacific of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) , which is led by Vietnam and has much in common with FOIP .

　Under certain conditions, we will start operating measures to allow short-term business travelers to enter the country so that the traffic of people who have been depressed by the Corona disaster will become active again. The policy is to resume regular flights. Economic cooperation will also be strengthened toward the decentralization of Japan’s production and supply network, which has become apparently dependent on China.

　Prime Minister Suga will give a policy speech to ASEAN at Vietnam-Japan University in Hanoi on the afternoon of the same day. Shows the idea that Japan will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the region. (Hanoi = Tomoyuki Izawa)