Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have expressed their shared "serious concern about growing regional tensions" following China's large-scale military drills near Taiwan, the Japanese government has said.
During a meeting in Tokyo on Monday, Hayashi and Guterres also agreed on the importance of easing tensions, according to the Foreign Ministry. Beijing commenced the exercises Thursday in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the democratic island last week.
Pelosi visited Taiwan, defying warnings from China, which views the island as a breakaway province that must eventually be brought under Beijing's control, by force if necessary.