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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed his intention to prioritize Japan’s existing cooperative relations with Southeast Asian countries, without adhering to his original views on security, during meetings with leaders of these countries. This may have reassured those nations for now.
Ishiba can be said to have completed his first overseas visit since becoming prime minister without problems.
He attended summit talks related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Laos.
At an ASEAN-Japan summit, Ishiba conveyed Japan’s stance of strengthening maritime security cooperation through such means as the provision of patrol vessels.
Tensions have risen recently in the South China Sea as China Coast Guard vessels have repeatedly collided with Philippine ships.
The South China Sea is an important sea lane for Japan. To maintain a free maritime order, it is significant for the Japanese government to support the Philippines and other coastal nations in improving their maritime security capabilities.
The economies of Southeast Asian countries are growing rapidly. It is important for Japan to support regional development, tap into growing markets and deepen mutually beneficial relations with these countries as an equal partner based on trust cultivated through years of cooperation.
In his series of meetings, Ishiba did not mention his signature idea of creating an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Even if he had proposed such a concept aimed at deterring China, he could not have gained support from Southeast Asian countries, which have strong economic ties with China.
While in Laos, Ishiba met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and they affirmed that Japan and China would promote a “mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests,” in which the two countries pursue their mutual interests.
In addition, Ishiba expressed “serious concerns” about the intensification of Chinese military activities, such as the intrusion by a Chinese military aircraft into Japan’s territorial airspace. Regarding recent incidents in which Japanese schoolchildren and others were killed or injured in Suzhou and Shenzhen, Ishiba called for clarifying the facts and preventing such incidents in the future. He also demanded the early release of Japanese nationals detained by Chinese authorities.
In response, Li referred to Ishiba’s policy speech, in which the prime minister expressed his intention to promote exchanges with China, and said that Beijing had high praise for the speech. However, he reportedly did not make positive remarks on the concerns raised by Ishiba.
The improvement of Japan-China relations is premised on China providing a clear explanation about the airspace intrusion and the violent incidents involving Japanese children. Beijing should realize that its untrustworthy response has worsened Japanese people’s feelings toward China and hindered business and private exchanges with the country.
Ishiba agreed during a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to continue reciprocal visits by the leaders of the two countries. To prevent the bilateral relationship, which has been on an improving trend, from going backward, it is crucial to ensure that the peoples of both countries realize the benefits of improved ties.
