Japan’s defense minister vowed on Saturday to bolster the country’s deterrence capabilities and boost its alliance with the United States, citing Japan’s position as a frontline opponent of “rule-flouting actors.”
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said that Japan is at the frontline of “a competition” between countries defending the rules-based order and those attempting to change it by force.
“At present, not only is Japan surrounded by actors that both possess or are developing nuclear weapons and ignoring the rules, but also, year by year, they are becoming more open in their disregard for them,” he said….