If Russia’s use of force against Ukraine goes ‘unchallenged, it will happen in other parts of the world, including Asia’, the Japanese prime minister said.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in Washington, DC, that during a visit to strengthen Tokyo’s alliance with the US in the face of China’s rise, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan, the United States and Europe must Working together towards China. challenge from Beijing.
China is the central challenge for both Japan and America Kishida said China’s vision of the international order differs from that of Tokyo and Washington in a number of ways that the allies “can never accept”.
“Japan, the United States and Europe are necessarily united in managing our respective relations with China,” the Japanese prime minister said in a speech Friday at the School of International Studies. Johns Hopkins Senior School.
He said Russia’s war against Ukraine marked the “complete end” of the post-Cold War world order and that if Moscow’s use of force “is not challenged, it will.” out in other parts of the world, including Asia”.
“The international community is at a historic turning point. The free, open and stable international order that we have devoted ourselves to maintaining is now in grave danger,” said Mr. Kishida.
“We will never allow any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force, and we will strengthen our deterrence.”
Kishida reiterates Japan’s concern about China’s military operations near disputed islands in the East China Sea – known as the Senkaku Islands in Japanese and the Diaoyu Islands in Chinese – as well as China launches ballistic missile made landfall last year in waters near Japan.
In a meeting with Kishida earlier at the White House, US President Joe Biden said the US remained strongly committed to its alliance with Japan and praised Tokyo’s “historic” defense construction announced on Tuesday. last month.
“Let me be clear: The United States is completely, thoroughly, fully committed to the alliance and, more importantly, to defending Japan,” Biden said.
Japan last month announced Build the biggest army since World War II, in a dramatic departure from seven decades of pacifism, fueled by concerns about China’s actions in the region. The increase will see Japan increase its defense budget for 2023 to a record 6.8 trillion yen ($55 billion), or a 20% increase in spending, amid concerns regional security concerns, including threats from China and North Korea.
As part of that new defense policy, Japan is procuring and seeking to purchase hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles, currently only available in the US and British arsenals. Japan will also develop a “counterattack” capability for the first time, meaning it can strike missile launch sites that threaten it.
During talks this week between Japan’s foreign and defense ministers and their American counterparts, the two countries also agreed that attacks in space could lead to a mutual defense pact between the two countries. China is rapidly building satellites.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also signed an agreement to cooperate in space exploration on Friday.
