Japanese Prime Minister Abe reiterates his resolve to defend Senkaku islands; Japan, US and South Korea to hold regular trilateral security talks from late January 2013; Japanese Foreign Minister Kishida to visit Southeast Asia
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    • JANUARY 7-13

    According to reports, Japanese Prime Minister Abe reiterated his resolve to defend the Senkaku islands over which China has been claiming its own sovereignty. Even while emphasizing on his government’s wiliness to strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership between Japan and China, Abe stated that there is no room for negotiation between the two sides on the islands. 1

    In another development, the Japanese, US and South Korea governments have decided to hold regular trilateral security talks where senior officials in defense and foreign affairs will participate. The talks are aimed at boosting the security cooperation among the three countries in the face of growing uncertainty in the security environment in the Northeast Asia due to North Korean nuclear threat and China’s naval buildup. The first bureau chief-level talks are scheduled to be held in late January this year. 2

    In other developments, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is to visit the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei and Australia during a six-day tour starting from January 9, 2013. It will be his first overseas visit after assuming office as Foreign Minister. He argued that cooperation with those countries is essential to help ensure peace and stability in the whole Asia-Pacific region amid the changing strategic environment. 3

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