Sailors assigned to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Murasame-class destroyer JS Harusame (DD 102) ) raise the Japanese national ensign and heave mooring lines on the fo’c’sle while pulling into U.S. Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia for a scheduled port visit, Nov. 9, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Samantha Jetzer)
WASHINGTON — The governments of Japan and Vietnam revealed this week that they’re in discussions to potentially launch a joint project to build new fast landing vessels.
The defense chiefs for both nations met in Japan where they “agreed to commence discussions toward realizing concrete cooperation, including the possibility of the joint development and production of fast landing craft,” according to a readout from the Japanese Ministry of Defense published Wednesday.
“They also concurred on further strengthening these efforts by promoting defense industrial cooperation among other areas,” the readout said.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi offered a few — but only a few — more details about the potential project in a press conference today, according to Naval News. The outlet reported that Koizumi described the envisioned vessels as essentially littoral transport ships that could quickly get personnel and supplies from larger ships at sea to shore.
