Japan will bolster cooperation with Pacific Island countries in defense personnel exchanges, crisis response and cybersecurity as the maritime order faces increasing challenges, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
“There is only one thing that we must protect. It is a free and open ‘ocean of peace,’ grounded in the rule of law,” Koizumi said in a keynote address at the third Japan-Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue (JPIDD) held in Tokyo on Feb. 23.
The meeting, hosted by the Defense Ministry, brings together defense ministers and other officials from 14 Pacific Island countries. It was first held in 2021.
Noting that 24 February marks four years since Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Koizumi also said, “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.”
Japan places strategic importance on the region where Pacific Island countries are located, viewing it as a critical hub for sea lanes.
Another factor behind Tokyo’s push to deepen cooperation with those nations is China’s growing influence in the region on both military and economic fronts, exemplified by the security pact it signed with the Solomon Islands in 2022.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Koizumi said Pacific Island countries are vital partners that share fundamental values such as freedom and democracy, as well as the importance of a free and open international order based on the rule of law.
At the same time, he noted that defense exchanges with those nations are “not aimed at any specific country, including China.”
Japan has supported the island countries through the Official Security Assistance framework, under which it provides defense equipment and related items free of charge to the militaries of like-minded nations.
It was also announced that Tokyo will launch the Next-Generation Leadership Security Programme in the coming fiscal year, inviting young and mid-career personnel from the defense ministries and related agencies of Pacific Island countries to Japan.
At this year’s meeting, member countries of ASEAN participated for the first time as observers.
Amid uncertainty over U.S engagement in the Indo-Pacific region under the Trump administration, Japan hopes to strengthen cooperation with Pacific Island countries and ASEAN countries.
