Japan PM pledges to boost defence, diplomatic capabilities to preserve peace, NHK says

TOKYO: Japan will work to strengthen its defence and diplomatic capabilities to maintain peace, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said on Saturday ( Mar 23 ), according to public broadcaster NHK, adding that military buildups around the country have been growing.

Japan is a close alliance with the United States and has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supporting Kyiv economically and joining international sanctions on Moscow.

” Defense buildup, including nuclear and missile growth, has been accelerating in areas surrounding Japan and attempts to arbitrarily change the status quo by force are growing”, Kishida told a graduation ceremony at the National Defence Academy in Yokosuka near Tokyo, according to NHK.

Japan faces” the most complex and challenging” safety culture since World War Two, and the government may strengthen its military and political skills to maintain harmony and to prevent safety situations, he added.

Kishida and US President Joe Biden are to keep a mountain on Apr 10 in the United States, aimed at boosting the historic bilateral security alliance in the face of growing Foreign effect and as North Korea continues its military testing.