AMN / WEB DESK
Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has vowed to steadily bolster the country’s defense capabilities to protect it from security threats posed by China and North Korea, NHK reported.
Ishiba addressed the graduation ceremony of the National Defense Academy in Yokosuka, near Tokyo, on Saturday.
He said the security environment surrounding Japan has dramatically changed. He pointed out that China is continuing and even strengthening its efforts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the East and South China seas. He also noted that North Korea has been rapidly building up its capabilities by repeatedly launching ballistic missiles.
The Japanese prime minister said it is clear from what the Ukrainians are going through that the lives of people would be overturned should an armed incursion occur.
He stressed the need to bolster deterrence to ensure any threat does not endanger Japan.
Ishiba also emphasized that the foundation of defense capabilities is human resources. He pledged to continue to lead efforts to improve working conditions of Self-Defense Forces personnel.
The National Defense Academy says 363 students, excluding those from abroad, graduated in the current academic year ending this month. Forty of them declined to join the SDF, up five from the previous year.