Defense Minister Gen Nakatani called Saturday for closer defense cooperation among like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific region in order to strengthen the global rules-based order and — in an implicit criticism of China — act as a counter to countries seeking to erode the status quo.
The Japanese defense chief used a speech before scores of his counterparts and military brass in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s leading security conference, to push for closer cooperation and coordination, “while ensuring openness, inclusiveness and transparency, with an aim of restoring a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region, strengthening accountability and promoting the international public good.”
Nakatani said the need to unite on defense cooperation was clear, pointing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — a violation of the U.N. charter — and Beijing’s moves in the disputed South China Sea, including its decision to openly ignore a 2016 international arbitral tribunal ruling that dismissed the country’s claim to most of the strategic waterway.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.