ASEAN, Japan deputy defence chiefs gather in Tokyo Deputy defence chiefs of ASEAN countries and Japan met in Tokyo, Japan from October 8-10 to discuss regional security, the future of the Indo-Pacific region and ASEAN’s initiatives for regional cooperation. Lieut. Gen. Ngo Minh Tien, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, led the Vietnamese delegation to the event. Participants agreed that the region is facing many traditional and non-traditional challenges, especially competition among world powers, territorial sovereignty disputes, terrorism, and cyber security. It requires ASEAN member countries to promote intra-bloc cooperation as well as strengthen collaboration with partners, including Japan, to deal with common challenges. Addressing the event, Tien underlined the need for stronger multilateral partnership, especially cooperation within the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM+, which help strengthen dialogue on international and regional issues of shared concern and increase trust among countries while creating a framework to promote practical cooperation among military forces inside and outside ASEAN. Participants highlighted the significance of the Indo-Pacific region, where many important transportation lines meet. The ensuring of goods and services exchange plays a crucial role in promoting economic development in the region, they noted, stressing that all…