- Nikkei Asia
VIVA – In the face of aggressors, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promises to boost the capacity of Japan's naval and military. As quoted from The Sun Daily, Kishida also condemned Russia's war in Ukraine and denounced North Korea's recent missile tests, one of which flew over Japan for the first time since 2017 and triggered an evacuation warning.
“We must prepare ourselves for an era when actors emerge to disobey rules and use force or threats to destroy the peace and safety of other nations,” Kishida said as he addressed Japan’s international fleet review, on November 6, 2022.
Currently, Tokyo is drafting a security plan that may call for a doubling of the country's defense spending within five years. That would represent a major change in Japan, where a pacifist constitution limits military capacity.
“We will accelerate realistic discussions on what’s needed to defend our people by keeping all options on the table,” Kishida remarked.
Kantor perdana menteri Jepang.
- Istimewa
“The enhancement (of Japan’s naval capacity) cannot wait, including the construction of new naval ships, bolstering our missile defense capacity and improvement of the work conditions and compensations for our (military) personnel,” he added.
He did not mention China by name but said that the national security environment around the country is growing more severe, including the East China Sea and South China Sea, where Beijing has taken a firm position in territorial disputes with countries including Japan.
Kishida added that Japan will ensure transparency of its military spending. "Japan will maintain our way as a pacifist country as we have done since the end of (World War II)."
The fleet review gathered ships from Japan and 12 other countries, including Australia, India, and the United States (US) in Sagami Bay, southern Tokyo.
South Korea also took part or concrete steps for the first time in seven years, as Tokyo and Seoul seek to fix the intense ties.
