Japan’s Shinjiro Koizumi Assures Pacific Islands of Growing Ties at JPIDD Meeting

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:43 JST, February 24, 2026

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stressed that Japan will strengthen coordination with island nations in the Pacific and promote peace and stability in the region in his keynote address at the third Japan Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue (JPIDD) meeting, held through Tuesday, in Tokyo.

With China’s coercive maritime expansion in mind, Koizumi mentioned in his address delivered Monday, that Tuesday would mark four years since Russia’s aggression against Ukraine began. “I sincerely hope that this JPIDD will serve as a platform where we stand united in our unwavering commitment to peace, and where we reaffirm that attempts to change the status quo by force must never be tolerated,” he said.

Koizumi called for securing the Pacific Ocean connecting the island nations as the “ocean of peace.” He added, “We will strengthen our resilience and autonomy, so that we can stand firm against any crisis or danger that threatens peace and prosperity.”

He pointed out three key fields in which Japan and the island nations should strengthen cooperation — “connecting people,” “connecting crisis response” and “connecting resilience.”

He also indicated that the government would further promote personnel exchanges with Pacific Island nations to foster mutual trust among defense authorities of relevant countries. Additionally, he announced the launch of the next-generation leadership security program in fiscal 2026 that will invite young defense officials from these nations, who are responsible for security policy formulation, to Japan, where they will tour Self-Defense Forces facilities. He said, “It is a new effort designed to enable practitioners to build face-to-face relationships of trust with one another.”

Koizumi mentioned Japan and the island nations will jointly respond to climate change, infectious diseases and illegal fishing, as well as enhance resilience against cyberattacks and the malicious use of AI.

He said, “If we can build a strong and multilayered network, reaching beyond regions, then no matter how fierce the waves may become, the Pacific can — and will — remain the ocean of peace.”

Koizumi also held separate talks with the defense ministers of Tonga, Fiji and Papua New Guinea and agreed to promote defense cooperation. Among the topics discussed in the meetings were Japan’s cooperation for capacity building, maritime security and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

On Tuesday, the participants of the meeting visited the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. The Japan side explained the SDF’s efforts concerning disaster recovery and maritime security.

The three-day meeting was joined by 28 countries, a new high. The Philippines and six other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations attended for the first time.

JPIDD was launched in 2021 and participation has since expanded, as has the scope of discussions concerning cooperation between Japan and the island nations.

In its first meeting, held online in 2021, nations discussed defense cooperation and the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as this was also considered a security challenge.

The second meeting in Tokyo in 2024 saw 22 nations participate, some online. They announced the “Cooperation Concept for United Security Efforts in the Pacific Islands Region,” meant to further defense and security cooperation in the region.