Defense & Security

Defense minister to China: Concerns exist between Japan and China

AP
Defense Minster Nobuo Kishi speaks at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday.

By Yusuke Amano / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:22 JST, June 12, 2022

SINGAPORE — Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi held talks with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on Sunday in Singapore, the officials discussing “issues” between the countries.

In light of China’s attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, Kishi told Wei, “Many concerns exist between Japan and China, including various security issues.”

Said Wei: “We want to strengthen bilateral cooperation and build a relationship based on consensus between the two governments.”

This is the first face-to-face meeting between the Japanese and Chinese defense ministers in nearly 2½ years, since December 2019 in Beijing.