(Press Release)
February 25, 2026
Ministry of Defense
From February 22 to 24, the Ministry of Defense held the 3rd Japan–Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue (JPIDD), inviting Pacific Island countries, regional partner countries, and ASEAN countries. The JPIDD plenary session took place on February 23rd in Tokyo. At this meeting, among the three Pacific Island countries that possess armed forces, Fiji was represented by Hon. Pio Tikoduadua, Minister of Defence and Veteran’s Affairs; Papua New Guinea by Dr. Billy Joseph, Minister of Defense, and Tonga by His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for His Majesty’s Armed Forces. In addition, 11 Pacific Island countries without armed forces and seven partner countries participated. ASEAN countries also participated as observers for the first time, bringing participation to a total of 28 countries and one organization.
At the outset, Defense Minister Koizumi delivered a keynote address, and called for strengthening bonds and connectivity and for jointly building an autonomous and resilient region, in order to together firmly safeguard the Pacific Ocean that connects Japan and the Pacific Island countries as the “Ocean of Peace.” To that end, he expressed his determination to strengthen interconnectivity in three fields: “people-to-people,” “crisis response,” and “resilience.” In particular, with regard to people-to-people connectivity, he proposed the “Next Generation Leadership Security Program” as a new initiative. This program aims to promote mutual understanding and strengthen human networks by inviting young and mid-career officials from Pacific Island countries and the PIF Secretariat, who are expected to be responsible for security policy planning in their respective countries in the future, to participate in programs hosted by the Ministry of Defense. This proposal received broad support from each country.
The plenary session was chaired by State Minister of Defense Miyazaki, and exchanges of views were conducted in two sessions themed on “Maritime Security” and “Climate Change and Humanitarian Assistance / Disaster Relief (HA/DR),” which are matters of common interest between Japan and the Pacific Island countries.
In the session on maritime security, Japan introduced its initiatives, including the Ship-rider Program, in which naval officers, maritime law-enforcement officers from 11 Pacific Island countries embarked on the JS Ise, travelling from Sasebo Port to Manila Port to share knowledge related to maritime security. Japan also introduced joint training initiatives, such as boarding and inspection training conducted by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force with Pacific Island countries.
In response, Pacific Island countries expressed high appreciation for these initiatives. In addition, many Pacific Island countries noted that issues such as IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing directly affect national survival, but that resources and capabilities to address such challenges are limited. They emphasized the importance of addressing these issues through cooperation with partner countries both within and outside the region.
In the session on climate change and HA/DR, Japan introduced its efforts as a disaster‑prone country to share the experience and knowledge it has accumulated to date with Pacific Island countries and others through capacity‑building assistance programs and related initiatives. Pacific Island countries expressed the shared view that they are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and that climate change is no longer merely an environmental issue but has become a security challenge. In addition, they recognized that, in order to respond effectively, it is important to enhance resilience to climate change by strengthening the capabilities of each country’s military and law‑enforcement agencies and by promoting cooperation beyond national and regional boundaries.
At this JPIDD, through frank and constructive exchanges of views with participating countries, it was confirmed that trust with Pacific Island countries will be further strengthened and that cooperation will be enhanced in order to address common challenges.
(Participating countries and organization)
Countries with armed forces (3 countries): Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga
Countries without armed forces and related organizations (11 countries and 1 organization): Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, PIF Secretariat
Partner countries (7 countries): United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, France
Observer countries (7 countries): Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Viet Nam
The 3rd Japan–Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue (JPIDD) (PDF)
[LINK] Extraordinary Press Conference by Defense Minister Koizumi on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 7:16 PM