Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida started his one-week tour aimed at strengthening military ties with countries in Europe and North America.
As part of the tour, Kishida will visit Canada, France, Italy, the UK and the US, with Paris as his first stop, according to an AP report on Monday.
At the end of 2022, Japan adopted defence and security reforms that move the country away from its exclusive focus on self-defence adopted after WWII.
Japan warned that its anti-missile capabilities are not enough to defend it from weapons advancement in North Korea and China, with Kishida stressing the importance of forging stronger ties with the US.
He announced plans to present Japan’s new strategy to US President Joe Biden, noting that it includes the construction of new bases on its southwestern islands near Taiwan.
“I believe [the talks] will be a precious opportunity to confirm our close cooperation in further strengthening the Japan-US alliance and our endeavour together toward achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Kishida noted before starting the tour.
“It will be a chance to show the Japanese and US stance to the international community,” he pointed out and stressed the importance of countering China’s growing economic and military influence.
Broad talks
Besides cooperation, Kishida announced plans to discuss with other leaders the “severe security environment including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine” as well as economic issues and plans to defend the international order.
Japan’s new strategy includes nearly doubling its defence spending in the next five years from the current 1% of GDP to roughly 2%, which is the NATO standard, as well as strengthening its intelligence and cybersecurity capabilities.
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi and Minister of Defence Yasukazu Hamada are to visit their counterparts in Washington on Wednesday, ahead of the US-Japan summit on Friday.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Kishida is to visit Rome and London to discuss the joint development of F-X, a sixth-generation stealth fighter to be deployed in 2035.
He will also discuss the Reciprocal Access Agreement with the UK to allow the holding of joint military exercises in both countries, noting that Japan previously signed the agreement with Australia.
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