Cambodia has expressed support for Japan's plan to give the Self-Defense Forces a greater role to contribute to peace and stability within the global community, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida was quoted by the Kyodo News Agency as saying on June 30.

Kishida made the statement after his talks with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong on June 30 in Phnom Penh as part of his visit to the Southeast Asian country.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to obtain Cabinet approval on July 1 to reinterpret the Constitution to allow Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense, he added.

During the talks, the two foreign ministers shared concern about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ’s launch of ballistic missiles on June 29.

They also agreed that maritime security needs to be maintained, given China 's growing assertiveness in the East China Sea and East Sea , where tensions remain high over territorial disputes involving China and Japan, as well as Southeast Asian countries.

On the economic front, Japan and Cambodia agreed to the early conclusion of an aviation pact to start regular direct flights between the two countries.-VNA