Japan PM bats for united G7 to counter 'wrong lessons learnt' from Russia-Ukraine war

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, on Sunday, stressed the importance of presenting a united front by the Group of Seven (G7) leaders in order to prevent other nations from drawing the "wrong lessons" from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to local media reports, his statement was an evident reference to China's growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. During the ongoing G7 summit in Germany, Kishida emphasised the significance of the security situation surrounding Japan. He highlighted Beijing's deployment of ships to the Senkaku Islands' surrounding waters and its gas field explorations in the East China Sea as attempts to enact a violent change in the status quo. 

"We have seen attempts to change the status quo by force continuing and increasing in the Indo-Pacific. We need to ensure other countries do not draw wrong lessons from the situation in Ukraine," Kishida told his G7 counterparts, Kyodo News reported.

The Japanese Prime Minister also called for the safeguarding of the rules-based international order and demanded that China enhance its nuclear arsenal's transparency.

Japan vows to strengthen its military might 

While speaking at the G7 conference on diplomacy and security, Kishida also explained that Japan will fundamentally strengthen its military within five years with a significant increase in relevant investment. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations' spending target for defence budget is 2% of Gross Domestic Product, and Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has requested that the Kishida government increase the defence budget to at least that level. 

According to reports, Japan has long set a cap on its defence spending of about 1% of GDP, or approximately 5 trillion yen ($37 billion) in recent years.

Kishida to attend upcoming NATO summit 

It is significant to mention here that Kishida would attend a two-day NATO summit beginning on Wednesday, June 29, after the G-7 Summit. He will be the first Japanese premier to do so as the intergovernmental military alliance has invited Asia-Pacific partners such as Japan, South Korea and Australia to the meeting.

It is pertinent to mention here that Japan and China are still at odds over the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, which are administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing. Ahead of the NATO Summit, Japan has also expressed concerns over China's alleged gas extraction in a disputed region of the East China Sea. 

(Image: AP)