Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral John Aquilino on Wednesday affirmed continued close security coordination between Japan and the US, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
During their meeting in Tokyo, Kishida and Aquilino exchanged views on the bilateral security and defense cooperation to strengthen alliance deterrence and response capabilities, in light of the increasingly severe security environment in the region, including North Korea’s intensified nuclear and missile activities and China’s unilateral change to the status quo by force and such attempts, the ministry said in a statement.
Kishida expressed his gratitude for the contribution of US Indo-Pacific Command and the US Forces Japan, which play a significant role in maintaining peace and stability in this region, as the security environment surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly severe.
The premier noted that based on Japan’s National Security Strategy formulated at the end of last y
ear, his country will promote efforts for the peace and stability in the region and beyond, through fundamentally reinforcing its own defense capabilities, further strengthening the Japan-US alliance, and making efforts to realize a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” In response, Aquilino said the importance of the Japan-US alliance has never been higher than ever amidst an increasingly severe security environment, adding that Washington is willing to demonstrate the unwavering US commitment to the Indo-Pacific region to achieve a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to the statement.
The two sides also reaffirmed the importance of steadily implementing the realignment of US forces in Japan from the perspective of mitigating the impact on local communities, while advancing their efforts for strengthening alliance deterrence and response capabilities.
Source: Kuwait News Agency