Japan, Russia Agree to Expand Defense Ties
Japan and Russia held their first high-level defense and diplomatic talks Saturday and agreed to step up cooperation between their militaries amid regional security concerns such as North Korea and China.
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, and their Russian counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu also agreed to hold joint military and anti-piracy exercises and establish a defense consultation framework. Their countries’ defense ties are geared up toward peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and would not affect existing alliances, including one between Japan and the U.S., they said.
Lavrov told a news conference after Saturday’s talks that upgrading defense ties between the two countries could serve their national interests in resolving terrorism and North Korea’s nuclear threats, as well as other regional disputes. He welcomed the talks as a landmark development for Russia and Japan, and said that this new cooperation would not interfere with the Japan-U.S. alliance.