Japan's Ishiba calls for Asian security discussions

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a joint news conference on Oct 9 2024 at his official residence in Tokyo Japan after dissolving the Lower House of Parliament and proceeding for an early election on Oct 27 Reuters-Yonhap — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a joint news conference on Oct. 9, 2024, at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, after dissolving the Lower House of Parliament and proceeding for an early election on Oct. 27. Reuters-Yonhap

SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba directed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to initiate talks on bolstering security measures in Asia. The move comes amid heightened regional tensions, with China commencing large-scale military exercises around Taiwan.

Ishiba, who heads the LDP, is reportedly considering proposals to revise the Japan-U.S. status of forces agreement and establish an Asian equivalent of NATO, sources said on Monday.

"Peace and security around Taiwan is an extremely important issue," Ishiba said, adding, "We'll closely monitor the situation as we make ourselves ready to respond to any event."

The prime minister has instructed Defense Minister Gen Nakatani to assess the deployment of U.S. forces in Italy and Germany during his upcoming visit to a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Europe.

Ishiba emphasized the need for these discussions to be conducted in close collaboration with the foreign and defense ministries.

AJP

Japan's Ishiba calls for Asian security discussions

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