Japan, France vow to strengthen Indo-Pacific cooperation
Japan and France agreed on Thursday to bolster their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and shared serious concerns about the state of affairs in the East and South China Seas, as China s military clout is increasing in the region.
The foreign and defense ministers from each country expressed their strong concerns over North Korea's missile and nuclear development following Pyongyang's ballistic missile launch on Monday, its fourth in just two weeks.
In a joint statement released after the two-plus-two security ministerial meeting, the ministers said they affirmed their commitment to promote cooperation in order to contribute to the rules-based, free and open Indo-Pacific.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, along with their respective French counterparts Jean-Yves Le Drian and Florence Parly.
The four ministers shared serious concerns over the state of affairs in the East and South China Seas, in a veiled reference to China's assertiveness in nearby waters, including the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims as its own territory and calls Diaoyu.
The statement stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Japan has been promoting the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific as a counter to the rising influence of China and its increasing maritime assertiveness.
France has strategic interests in the region since it has overseas territories, including the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean and French Polynesia in the South Pacific.
The ministers pledged to the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
The ministers said they will continue their efforts to monitor ship-to- ship smuggling involving North Korean vessels.
The ministers welcomed the progress in defense cooperation between Japan and France, including their joint exercises last year that included the United States, Australia and India.
According to Japan's Foreign Ministry, the group discussed how to cooperate on support missions for Tonga after a devastating volcanic eruption on January 15 and subsequent tsunami waves, as well as the fact that France has military facilities in its territories near the South Pacific island nation.
The statement stated that the two governments should begin discussing a possible framework to ease restrictions on the transportation of weapons and supplies for joint training.
Japan has strengthened its defence cooperation with European countries, including Britain and Germany, in addition to its longtime ally the United States, as well as other partners, such as Australia, who share the same vision for the region.
Since their first session in 2014, Japan and France have taken turns hosting such meetings almost every year.
They had originally planned to hold an in-person two-plus- two gathering in Japan by the end of 2021, but postponed it because of the rapid spread of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronaviruses.