Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono held talks with US Secretary of Defense Stephen Esper on March 29 on a visit to the US territory of Guam, where he shared strong concerns over the situation in the South China Sea where China is intensifying its maritime activities. The DEFENSE ministers also reaffirmed that the Diaoyu Islands are subject to Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Guarantee Treaty, which stipulates the United States’ defense obligations toward Japan.
Kyodo News reported today that the Japanese and US defense ministers are unanimously opposed to changing the status quo in the East and South China Seas. Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono held talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Stephen Esper in the visiting U.S. territory of Guam on June 29, sharing strong concerns over the situation in the South China Sea where China is intensifying its maritime activities. The DEFENSE ministers also reaffirmed that the Diaoyu Islands are subject to Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Guarantee Treaty, which stipulates the United States’ defense obligations toward Japan.
It was the two men’s first direct meeting since Kono visited the US in January, about seven months later. Kono noted that a Chinese missile launch in the South China Sea could cause instability in the region and said he would be concerned about the situation.
With regard to the East and South China Seas, the two reached consensus on opposing attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in the context of strength, and stressed the importance of the rule of law and freedom of navigation, Kyodo said. Around the Senkaku islands, known in China as The Diaoyu, the two men reaffirmed that they are subject to Article 5 of the Japan-US Security Guarantee treaty, which obliges the US to defend Japan.
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