Japan defense academy to accept students from Pacific states
JIJI, KYODO
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Mar 21, 2024
Japan’s National Defense Academy will accept students from Pacific island countries from as early as fiscal 2025, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said Wednesday.
He made the announcement in a keynote speech in a two-day meeting of defense ministers of Japan and Pacific island countries in Tokyo.
Apparently bearing in mind China’s hegemonic ambitions, Kihara stressed the importance of protecting free, open and stable seas, saying that Japan will enhance its cooperation with Pacific island countries in the fields of defense and security.
“In this day and age, unfortunately, attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion have advanced in the world and the Indo-Pacific region,” Kihara said, in a veiled criticism of Beijing’s maritime assertiveness in the area.
The National Defense Academy in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, will accept students from the three Pacific island countries of Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga, all of which have their own militaries.
Kihara said Japan will continue to help the states build their capabilities in dealing with natural disasters and share knowledge in areas such as influence operation, outer space, cyber defense and artificial intelligence.
He also expressed Tokyo’s willingness to deepen defense collaboration with the Pacific island nations through its new program called Official Security Assistance, or OSA, aimed at offering defense equipment for like-minded partners that share fundamental values.
The meeting of the defense ministers began on Tuesday. Participants discussed on Wednesday cooperation in the fields of climate change, humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
After the meeting, Kihara told reporters that Japan “hopes to further strengthen defense cooperation and exchanges so that it can make more active contributions to regional peace and stability.”
Defense ministers of Japan and Pacific island nations held their first meeting in 2021. Although the event was in an online format, participants released a joint statement.
This time, however, no outcome document was adopted.
Tokyo will also host the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting scheduled for July. The summit, which has taken place every three years since 1997, involves Japan and 18 countries and territories, including Australia and New Zealand.
KEYWORDS
DEFENSE, MINORU KIHARA, FIJI, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, TONGA, NATIONAL DEFENSE ACADEMY, OCEANIA, INDO-PACIFIC