Japanese Defense Minister: China needs to act responsibly

Speaking at the discussion session "New forms of security cooperation in Asia" on May 30 within the framework of the 14th Shangri La Dialogue, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani presented his country's proposal on the "Shangri La Dialogue Initiative" to strengthen maritime security in the region.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks at the discussion session at the Shangri-La Dialogue, May 30 (VN+).

Specifically, this initiative will focus on three main elements: perfecting common rules and laws at sea in the region to promote the safety and freedom of navigation and aviation; promoting joint exercises; and considering measures to prevent accidents involving submarines.

To ensure the safety of the regional seas as a strategic focal point of sea lanes, Japan's initiative believes that enhancing maritime and aerospace domain awareness for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries is very important and emphasizes the construction of a radar system that can monitor and control regional space.

Japan also focuses on improving the disaster response capacity of countries, especially improving the ability to coordinate between disaster prevention centers and streamlining procedures to quickly deploy emergency relief aircraft to disaster-stricken areas.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Minister Gen Nakatani also emphasized that China needs to act as a responsible power, and called on countries in the region to cooperate with each other on the basis of equality without pressure to ensure peace and stability in the region for future generations.

The Japanese Minister expressed Tokyo's and other countries' concerns about China's rapid and large-scale construction activities in the East Sea, saying that with these actions, Beijing is trying to change the status quo in the East Sea.

On that basis, Minister Nakatani said that security challenges will never be resolved or disappear without the supervision of the international community, leading to disorder in order and the breakdown of peace and stability.

Japan demands that countries take actions based on international law, not use force or coerce other countries to their demands, and seek to resolve disputes based on peaceful means.

Mr. Gen Nakatani also affirmed the Japanese Government's commitment to making more active contributions to regional and global peace and stability, based on the principles of international cooperation./.

(According to VN+)