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Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Defense Minister Calls for Enhancing Multinational Security Cooperation at Asia Security Summit in Singapore
Hirotaka Kuriyama / The Yomiuri Shimbun Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, right, shakes hands with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles in Singapore on Sunday. SINGAPORE — Defense Minister Gen Nakatani called for stronger relations with like-minded countries, including the United States, to increase deterrence against China in conjunction with the Asian Security Summit in Singapore held from Friday to Sunday. As the U.S. government is increasing its pressure on allies and like-minded countries through tariff measures, Nakatani focused on maintaining multinational cooperation. After finishing his meetings at the summit, which is also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, Nakatani told reporters on Sunday, 'I exchanged opinions with many defense ministers, and reaffirmed the need to strengthen defense cooperation and partnership.' On the same day, Nakatani met with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles to call on the Australian government to jointly develop ships based on the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami class destroyers regarding Canberra's plan to introduce a new type of ship. If joint development is realized, it is expected that interoperability between the SDF and the Australian military will be improved. Nakatani also held individual talks with the defense ministers of the Philippines and Malaysia, which are both in dispute with China over territorial claims in the South China Sea, and held bilateral meetings with a total of eight countries during his stay. The defense ministers of Japan, the United States, Australia and the Philippines held a meeting on Saturday. The meeting was aimed at maintaining U.S. involvement in the Indo-Pacific region as the Trump administration, which has been accused of disregarding its allies, has been at odds with other countries over tariff measures. The ministers confirmed that they will meet regularly in the future, expressed 'serious concern' about China's attempts to change the status quo and reconciled their perceptions of China. A trilateral defense ministers' meeting of Japan, the United States and Australia was also held on Saturday. The ministers issued a statement acknowledging the importance of partnership. Nakatani's focus on maintaining multinational cooperation, including with the United States, at the summit is aimed at preventing China, which has been making unilateral advances in the region, from taking advantage of the growing distrust of the U.S. to expand its influence in the region. On Saturday, Nakatani delivered his address at the Asian Security Summit and emphasized the importance of 'the rules-based international order.' He also proposed the cooperative framework of OCEAN (One Cooperative Effort Among Nations) so that countries sharing common values and interests will jointly expand their cooperation. 'Each of the countries also expressed similar views. I got responses indicating that all of them shared the same opinion,' Nakatani told reporters on Sunday. However, it remains to be seen whether the relationship between the United States and its allies and like-minded countries will be able to improve. A senior Defense Ministry official said, 'It will be increasingly necessary for Japan to compensate for the decline in the U.S. presence.'
Kuwait Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Defense minister represents Kuwait in Shangri-La Dialogue
US affirms GCC countries remain top allies at major Asian security summit SINGAPORE: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth affirmed on Saturday that the Gulf states are among the United States' allies, stressing that the 'America First' policy does not mean 'America alone,' but rather working alongside allies—including the Gulf countries—to achieve shared security. His remarks came during a speech at the opening session of the 22nd edition of the Asian Security Summit held within the framework of the Shangri-La Dialogue, attended by Kuwaiti Minister of Defense Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Sabah, along with defense ministers, military leaders, and security experts from 47 countries. Hegseth stated, 'As I've said many times before, and it's important for this room to hear today, and all the world — America First certainly does not mean America alone. Especially alongside so many of our allies, model allies like Poland, (the Zionist entity), and the Gulf States, the Baltic States. And it does not mean ignoring the world. ' Sheikh Abdullah holds a conversation with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. SINGAPORE: Kuwaiti Minister of Defense Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Sabah participated in the the 22nd edition of the Asian Security Summit held in Singapore. High-level meetings In a statement released Saturday, Sheikh Abdullah said that the first day of the summit featured a series of meetings between heads of state, government officials, and defense ministers. During this, he met with Zaqy Mohamad, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Defense and for Sustainability and the Environment. The ministry added that the meeting explored ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, particularly in military and security affairs. The two sides also discussed several topics of mutual interest, as well as regional and international issues. During the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah extended congratulations on the occasion of Singapore's 60th anniversary of independence and praised the deep and longstanding bilateral relationship, which began 40 years ago. He affirmed the strength of Kuwait-Singapore relations and the importance of expanding cooperation, especially in defense and security sectors. On the sidelines of the summit, Sheikh Abdullah also held cordial conversations and bilateral discussions with several world leaders and senior defense officials. He met with French President Emmanuel Macron, President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Singaporean Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Cybersecurity Josephine Teo. These meetings included exchanges of views on strategic challenges at regional and international levels and ways to enhance joint efforts to support global peace and stability. The agenda of the Shangri-La Dialogue includes discussions on global challenges such as maintaining balance in a competitive world, managing nuclear proliferation risks, and cybersecurity. Parallel sessions will also cover topics like defense innovation, maritime security, and managing regional crises. Kuwait's Ambassador to Singapore, Ahmad Al-Shuraim, and the accompanying delegation attended the meetings alongside Minister Sheikh Abdullah. — Agencies
