Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to visit Vietnam at the end of June to build common cause on maritime security in the East and South China seas, government sources said Thursday.
Kishida will meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minster Pham Binh Minh for talks on speeding up Japan's provision of patrol ships to Vietnam as China raises its assertiveness in the South China Sea, the sources said.
China has increased tensions in the area by deploying an oil rig off the Paracel Islands that are disputed with Vietnam, leading to clashes between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels.
Japan has its own problems in the East China Sea, where Beijing and Taipei claim the Senkaku Islands.