Japan, Malaysia sign defence accord

Japan and Malaysia have signed an agreement to expand defence co-operation, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Tokyo has announced.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed in Japan on 11 September during a meeting chaired by the countries’ defence ministers: Japan’s Itsunori Onodera and his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Sabu.

The MoD said the MOU provides a structure for expanded collaboration across a range of activities including defence equipment and technologies, military-to-military exchanges, joint maritime security and disaster relief operations, and military exercises.

In terms of defence technologies, the MoD said the MOU strengthens an agreement that was signed in Kuala Lumpur in April 2018 by Makio Miyagawa, Japan’s ambassador to Malaysia, and Dato’ Sri Abdul Rahim bin Mohamad Radzi, the secretary general of Malaysia’s MoD.

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