Japan and Malaysia see need for a maritime security plan as Malaysia's defence chief visits Tokyo

Japan's Defence Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, held talks in Tokyo on Monday 19 October with his Malaysian counterpart, Mohamed Khaled Nordin, on the first visit to Japan by a Malaysian defence minister in eight years, according to a Kyodo News report carried by the Nikkei. The two ministers exchanged views on the situation in the East and South China Seas, confirmed the importance of complying with international law and agreed to work closely together to contribute to regional peace and stability.

Pointing to growing exchanges of personnel between the two countries, the ministers also shared the view that a comprehensive plan is needed for their cooperation on maritime security. The Kyodo report did not say when such a plan would be drawn up or what it would cover.

At the start of the meeting, Koizumi said Malaysia plays a large role in keeping the region peaceful and stable, and described it as an indispensable partner in realising a free and open Indo-Pacific. He said he wanted to build on existing cooperation and deepen the two countries' defence relationship as a whole. Khaled pointed to the 2023 upgrade of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and said he hoped to widen that cooperation further into defence.

Khaled began a four-day official working visit to Japan on Sunday 18 October. In a social media post reported by Malaysia's state news agency Bernama, he said his programme included meetings with Koizumi and with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, a ceremony to sign grant assistance documents under Japan's Official Security Assistance programme, talks with Japan's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency and a visit to Toshiba, which Bernama described as a Japanese defence company. His delegation includes the Defence Ministry's deputy secretary-general for policy, Mohd Yani Daud, and the chief of staff at Malaysian Armed Forces headquarters, Lieutenant General Muhammad Huzaimi Sabri. Bernama's report did not say what equipment the new grant would cover.

Khaled has already met the agency, which handles procurement, technology and logistics for Japan's Ministry of Defence, and its commissioner, Manabu Imakyurei. According to Bernama, he said he received a briefing on how Japan is developing its defence industry and discussed possible cooperation on technology transfer, the development of locally made components and participation in global supply chains. He added that closer ties built on trust and mutual respect would open up more chances for defence cooperation that benefits both countries.

Japan's Foreign Ministry said Khaled was visiting at its invitation. Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Kazuhiro Fujii hosted him for lunch on 19 October, where, according to the ministry, Khaled described Japan as a longtime friend of Malaysia and said he hoped to strengthen relations in several areas, including security. The two men discussed cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as well as regional and international issues, and agreed to develop the relationship further ahead of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.

Japan has already supplied equipment to Malaysia's armed forces under the Official Security Assistance programme, through which Tokyo gives non-lethal defence equipment to partner countries. In September 2025, Malaysia formally received 14 unmanned aerial vehicles and seven rescue boats under an agreement signed in 2023, with the drones shared between the army, the navy and the armed forces' cyber and electronic division. Japan's ambassador to Malaysia said at the time that the drones would be used for coastal surveillance, including in the South China Sea.