Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with Vietnamese President Bo Van Thuong at the Prime Minister's Office on November 27th, 2023. This year, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries agreed to upgrade their bilateral relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership”. They confirmed that they will continue to deepen discussions on the "Official Security Assistance (OSA)" program, which was established by Japan to provide defense equipment to "like-minded countries" free of charge. In a joint press statement after the meeting, P…