Japan will increase its military presence in the South China Sea through a series of “training” patrols in support of the US and its allies through the hotly-contested waterways, new Defense Minister Tomomi Inada told a Washington audience Thursday.
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In recent months, tensions have risen in the South China Sea as the USA has increased its presence there.
Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada and U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter agreed Thursday to cooperate closely in dealing with the “grave security threat” posed by North Korea.
Japan’s new defense minister said Thursday her nation would step up activity in the South China Sea, in comments made less than two weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Japan to “exercise caution” in the waters. Neighboring Asian nations including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam have overlapping claims to parts of the waters.
In July, an global arbitration court invalidated several of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea in a case brought by the Philippines.
“What China has been doing in the East and South China Sea is raising serious concerns in the Asia Pacific and beyond”, said Inada. China and Japan also both claim sovereignty over the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, straining relations between the two countries.
Inada accused China of flouting worldwide norms and said that stability in Asia-Pacific waters is a matter of global importance. Inada said China has escalated its incursions by its vessels into Japan’s territorial waters around the islands.
Inada also confirmed that Japan will continue its efforts to increase the defense capabilities of other claimant states involved in the South China Sea disputes.
Inada, who last month became the second woman to be appointed Japan’s defense minister, is known for embracing causes that irritate Japan’s biggest trading partner. The defence minister said she was willing to hold a “constructive dialogue” with Beijing on preventing confrontations between their air and sea forces to ease regional tensions.
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Concluding her speech, Inada warned that unless powers act to counter perceived Chinese aggression, the conflict in South East Asia will engulf the rest of the globe.
