Government officers and scholars from Japan and ASEAN member countries, including Vietnam, discussed common security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region at a conference in Tokyo on March 14.

The event, the fourth of its kind, focused on the role and cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan in an environment of changing regional security.

Addressing the event, Nyan Lynn, Deputy Secretary General for ASEAN Political-Security Community, said that ASEAN plays a central role in regional security dialogue through the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM +) and the deputy-ministerial level ASEAN–Japan defence cooperation conference.

Japan is now one of ASEAN’s leading partners, with bilateral relations developing in all fields. The two sides need to continue strengthening cooperation in politics, security, economics and disaster prevention to deal with common challenges, including traditional and non-traditional security issues, in the region and the world.

Participants highlighted the central role and success of ASEAN in solving regional security issues, suggesting it take a broader view to cope with challenges, including territorial land and sea disputes, maritime security and the process of denuclearisation.

The association should build a common foundation for all member nations to work with each other to solve domestic, regional and international issues to establish the ASEAN Community, including the Security Community, through their strategies.

The two sides need to exchange views on common security issues and further intensify cooperation at regional forums to solve these concerns.-VNA