Japan, France Pledge Stronger Cooperation Amid Rising Tensions in Indo-Pacific

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (C) prepares to leave Haneda airport in Tokyo on Jan. 8, 2023. Kota Endo/Kyodo News via AP

Japanese and French leaders agreed on Monday to strengthen their bilateral security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific amid rising security challenges posed by the Chinese Communist regime.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday as he kicked off a weeklong tour of G-7 nations, including Italy, Britain, Canada, and the United States.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Kishida referred to France as “a leading partner” in the effort to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific and expressed Japan’s intention to launch joint military drills with France.

“As unilateral attempts to change by force the status quo in the East and South China Sea intensify and the security environment becomes increasingly tense, we wish to continue to cooperate with France,” Kishida said, as reported by AFP.

Kishida said the G-7 nations would continue to impose strict sanctions against Russia to exert pressure on Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February of last year.

“The G-7, faced with the Russian aggression, will rally to continue and reinforce strict sanctions against Russia and keep up strong support for Ukraine,” he stated.

For his part, Macron reaffirmed France’s support for Japan in the Indo-Pacific while acknowledging that North Korea’s illegal nuclear and missile development program poses a threat to regional security.

“Japan can count on our unfailing support to face flagrant breaches to international law from Pyongyang,” he told reporters, referring to North Korea’s capital city.

Macron thanked Japan for its economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine and said both countries will work jointly to face the global consequences of Russia’s invasion, especially energy and food security issues.

Both leaders also vowed to enhance bilateral cooperation, including in the fields of nuclear and renewable energy, car manufacturing, and defense.

Kishida will hold talks with President Joe Biden in Washington on Jan. 13. The two leaders are expected to discuss regional and global issues, including North Korea’s unlawful missile programs, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and China’s tensions with Taiwan.

China’s Threat

Japan approved three key defense documents in December, including the National Security Strategy, which refers to China as Japan’s “greatest challenge.” Japan seeks to have the ability to counterattack, a move widely seen as a departure from the nation’s post-war constitution.

Japan is concerned about its own vulnerability as China expands its military presence near Taiwan and the East China Sea. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime had not ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control.

Japan’s defense ministry said on Jan. 2 that it scrambled fighter jets and dispatched aircraft and warships for two weeks to keep tabs on the CCP’s Liaoning aircraft carrier and five warships that conducted naval maneuvers and flight operations over the Pacific Ocean.

The ministry said it monitored the operations after the Chinese naval group, which included missile destroyers, sailed between the main Okinawa island and Miyakojima island into the Western Pacific from the East China Sea on Dec. 16.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.