On Sunday (November 6), Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during Japan’s international fleet review, pledged to strengthen the country’s naval and military capabilities while warning other countries to be ready to repel aggressors.
The prime minister criticised North Korea for its recent launches of ballistic missiles, one flew over Japan for the first time since 2017, prompting evacuation warnings. Kishida further criticised Russia for its special military operation in Ukraine. Not directly mentioning about China, he said that the national security environment around the country is growing tense with several aggressive stances, AFP reported.
He said, “We must prepare ourselves for an era when actors emerge to disobey rules and use force or threats to destroy the peace and safety of other nations.” He continued, ” We will accelerate realistic discussions on what’s needed to defend our people by keeping all options on the table.”
The statement comes after the country is all set to draft its military plan and might double its defence budget, making a major shift, as the constitution of the country limits the military capacity.
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Kishida also mentioned that government will improve the working conditions and pay for the military, along with building new naval ships and increasing the missile capacity.
At Sagami Bay, ships from Japan and 12 other countries including, India, Australia, the US and even South Korea participated in it for the first time in seven years to rebind ties between the two countries.
(With inputs from agencies)
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