Newsfrom Japan
World
Sep 9, 2025 21:02 (JST)
Seoul, Sept. 9 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Tuesday stressed the importance of multilateral security cooperation including not only Japan, South Korea and the United States, but also Australia and the Philippines.
In a speech at the Seoul Defense Dialogue, an international conference hosted by the South Korean Defense Ministry in the country’s capital, Nakatani said that countries must “protect the free and open international order based on the rule of law.”
“The international order is facing a critical challenge,” he said, referring to deeper military cooperation between North Korea and Russia in the war in Ukraine. “The possibility of a similar serious incident occurring in the Indo-Pacific region cannot be excluded.”
The minister explained his “One Cooperative Effort Among Nations (OCEAN)” concept, which he has put forth as a common philosophy for cooperation among defense authorities of Indo-Pacific countries that share common values, and sought support for it.
Nakatani’s visit to South Korea was the first in 10 years by a Japanese defense minister. He held talks with his South Korean counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back, on Monday.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Jiji Press
AloJapan.com