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Japan, US and Australia defense ministers meet

1062014

 The defense ministers of Japan, the US and Australia have said they strongly oppose the use of coercion or force to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China and South China Seas.Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera met with US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and their Australian counterpart David Johnston in Singapore on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit.

The three ministers discussed tensions in the East China and South China Seas. Topics included a recent incident in which Chinese fighters flew unusually close to Japanese Self-Defense Force planes over the East China Sea.

In a joint statement, the ministers said they uphold freedom of navigation and over flight in the East and South China Seas.

They said countries should refrain from actions that could increase tensions and should clarify claims in accordance with international law.

The US and Australian ministers also expressed their support for Japan’s recent efforts to re-examine the right to collective self-defense and the country’s Constitution.

Onodera said after the meeting that he was reassured that cooperation among the three countries that share common values is essential for the stability of the Pacific and East Asian region.

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Onodera, Hagel discuss maritime

1062014

The defense chiefs of Japan and the United States say they cannot accept any unilateral change of the status quo in the East and South China Seas.The agreement came during a meeting between Japan’s Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in Singapore on Saturday. Both discussed rising tensions in the East and South china Seas due to increased maritime activities by China. Onodera explained recent instances of Chinese fighter jets flying too close to Japanese Self-Defense Force aircraft over the East China Sea.

Onodera  briefed Hagel on discussions in Japan on changing the government’s traditional interpretation of the Constitution to allow the country to exercise the right to collective self-defense.Hagel welcomed and expressed support for the Japanese effort.

They confirmed that they will promote work to revise the Japan-US outline of defense cooperation guidelines by the end of the year.

They agreed to work together to steadily promote the construction of a facility to replace the US Futenma Marine Corps Air Station in Okinawa. They also agreed to reduce the burden on Okinawa communities that host US military facilities, including transferring a number of training flights of Osprey transport aircraft to outside Okinawa.Onodera later told reporters that he and Hagel agreed on the importance of resolving issues based on the rule of law and dialogue. He said he wants China to feel that the international community sees it that way. China’s national legislature has criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for saying that China is threatening Japan’s security.

China’s national legislature has criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for saying that China is threatening Japan’s security.

Fu Ying spoke at a panel discussion in Singapore organized by a Hong Kong TV station on Friday, prior to the Asia Security Summit.

She also said Abe is denying aspects of history. That’s an apparent reference to the prime minister’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine last year. The shrine honors Japan’s war dead and includes former leaders convicted of war crimes after World War Two.

Last year, Fu described Japan’s nationalization of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as a provocation that justified China’s increased activities in waters near the islands.