YOKOHAMA, JAPAN, Tuesday 7 October 2014 - The 6th Japan-ASEAN Defense Vice-Ministerial Forum, a forum hosted by Japan where senior officials from defence ministries of the ASEAN Member States and ASEAN Secretariat are invited, was held in Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Yokohama, Japan.
Brunei Darussalam was represented by Abu Sufian bin Haji Ali, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Defence Policy and Development), Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam.
The forum was chaired by Mr. Tokuchi Hideshi, Vice-Minister of Defense for International Affairs, Japan. This year, the forum focused on exchanging views on ways of promoting maritime cooperation within the defence field between Japan and the ASEAN Member States, as well as the possibilities on equipment-technology cooperation and capacity-building efforts in the maritime domain.
During the forum, Brunei Darussalam expressed its continuous commitment in pursuing collective efforts towards peace and stability of the region, as well as its appreciation for the opportunity to be able to enhance and flourish the already close relationships with ASEAN and Japan. The forum also saw opportunities for the ASEAN Member States to discuss possible measures that could be undertaken in order to elevate the current cooperation to the next level such as promoting information-sharing and interoperability, and strengthening confidence-building and mutual understanding.
Abu Sufian bin Haji Ali also made several bilateral calls to the other ASEAN Member States on the sideline of the Forum. During the bilateral calls, Brunei Darussalam expressed support and commitment to enhancing the existing warm defence relations with them.
The last day of the forum was dedicated to a visit to the National Defense Academy in which a campus tour was organized by the cadets from ASEAN countries whom are participants in the Academy. The base visit portion of the trip also included the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Underwater Medical Center and the Japanese Submarine Rescue Ship "CHIYODA".