Japan’s defense minister vowed on June 11 to bolster the country’s deterrence capabilities and boost its alliance with the United States, citing Japan’s position as a front-line opponent of “rule-flouting actors.”
“At present, not only is Japan surrounded by actors that both possess or are developing nuclear weapons and ignoring the rules, but also, year by year, they are becoming more open in their disregard for them,” he said.
Kishi said that Russia has intensified its military activities in the Far East and the Pacific, while China continues its attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in the South and East China Seas.
The joint military activities between the two major military powers are “increasingly concerning,” he said, emphasizing the need to defend the stability of the Taiwan Strait, where Beijing has increased its military presence.
Kishi said Japan would secure the necessary defense budget and accelerate the reinforcement of defense capabilities.
“We will also further elevate the Japan–U.S. alliance, which is a foundation for peace and prosperity in the Indo–Pacific region, and we will strengthen its deterrence and response capabilities,” Kishi said.
Kishi also met with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue summit, during which he raised concerns about the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning conducting military drills near Japan’s islands.
He urged China to exercise “restraint” in making unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea, near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which China also claims and calls the Diaoyu Islands.
The escalation of Chinese military activities in East Asia has heightened Tokyo’s concerns about the self-ruled island. Taiwan, along with its neighbor, Japanese-controlled Okinawa, contains Beijing’s forces.
“A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency, and therefore an emergency for the Japan–U.S. alliance,” he said, adding that Japan and Taiwan must work together to protect freedom and democracy.
