Japan and Vietnam signed a deal Saturday enabling exports of Japanese-made defense equipment and technology to the Southeast Asian country to boost cooperation amid China's rising assertiveness in regional waters.The accord was inked in Hanoi during Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi's first trip overseas after assuming the post last year. Japan will speed up talks with Vietnam to sell Self-Defense Forces' vessels, Kishi said in an online press conference, following a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang.Vietnam, as one of the key members of the Association of Southeast…READ FULL ARTICLE