(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
Today, I attended, the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus, the ADMM-Plus, in the morning, I then held the Australia-Japan-Philippines-Republic of Korea (ROK)-United States Defense Ministers’ Meeting, as well as the Japan-ROK, the Japan-China, the Japan-New Zealand, and the Japan-Laos Defense Ministerial Meetings. I would like to report about the meetings, including the Australia-Japan-Philippines-ROK-United States Defense Ministers’ Meeting that I just mentioned. Firstly, at the ADMM-Plus, I exchanged views on regional and international security issues with the Defense Ministers of participating countries. I pointed out three matters: the importance of (1) the international order based on the rule of law, (2) defense cooperation centered on ASEAN, and (3) the enhancement of connectivity with Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands Region. I also stated that Japan will continue to steadfastly contribute to the stability of the region. In addition, the meeting issued the Joint Statement on Resilience to Climate-related and other Natural Disasters. It was significant that we had concurred on a certain direction on climate change, a common issue for all countries, despite facing various other mounting issues. Next, the Defense Ministers’ Meeting was held between the five countries of Japan, the U.S., Australia, the Philippines, and the ROK. The five countries shared a recognition of the security environment surrounding the Indo-Pacific including the East and South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, and the region beyond. We also reaffirmed the growing importance of cooperation between the five countries, and that we will continue to strengthen concrete cooperation among the participating countries. It is the first-ever defense ministers’ meeting between these five countries, Japan, the U.S., Australia, the Philippines, and the ROK, in history. In that sense, it was an extremely meaningful meeting as well. Then, I held a series of bilateral meetings. First, at the Japan-ROK Defense Ministerial Meeting, we expressed serious concerns about North Korea’s launching ballistic missiles and the growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. We also confirmed that Japan and the ROK will continue to cooperate closely. In addition, we concurred on accelerating coordination toward the early realization of my visit to the ROK. At the Japan-China Defense Ministerial Meeting, I reiterated a strong protest against the intrusion into Japan’s airspace by a Chinese military aircraft in August this year, and strongly requested to prevent recurrence based on the explanation from the Chinese side on the case. Moreover, I conveyed my serious concerns about the situation in the East China Sea, including the Senkaku Islands, and the increasing military activities by the Chinese side in the sea and airspace surrounding Japan. At the same time, I pointed out that there are many security concerns between the two countries, hence it was important to continue candid discussions and communication. We also shared the importance of dialogue and exchanges between defense authorities including unit to unit exchange. Next, at the Japan-New Zealand Defense Ministerial Meeting, I mentioned that the first bilateral joint training had been conducted this year, and welcomed the steady progress of defense cooperation and exchanges between the two countries. We also affirmed that we will continue to maintain this momentum and work together to realize a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).” Next, at the Japan-Laos Defense Ministerial Meeting, I expressed my respect for Laos for playing a leading role as the chair of ASEAN over the past year, and affirmed that we will further develop our bilateral relationship as we mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Laos next year. In particular, we concurred to begin conducting reviews on the provision of disaster relief related equipment to the Lao People’s Army. The above concludes the events for today. It has been three years since a defense minister from Japan has participated in the ADMM-Plus. Taking this opportunity, we held many bilateral meetings, as well as the first defense ministerial meeting between the five countries of the U.S., Australia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Japan. I consider this extremely meaningful toward the realization of a FOIP.