Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida referred to joint exercises of Russian and Chinese bombers that flew over the waters surrounding Japan. The head of government in Tokyo expressed “concern” and announced a “drastic increase in defense capabilities” and the expansion of the armed forces.
Kishida in a speech to Self-Defense Forces soldiers Japan at Iruma Air Base in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo, he said that “attempts to unilaterally change the status quo around the country are intensifying.” He assessed that the security environment around Japan is currently the most complex since World War II.
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The Kyodo agency reminds that Russian and Chinese combat aircraft have repeatedly exercised together over the waters surrounding Japan, most recently in June this year. Although they did not violate Japanese airspace at the time, Japanese fighters were scrambled in response, and Tokyo conveyed diplomatic protests to Moscow and Beijing.
Fumio Kishida during a speech EPA
Japan wants to arm
Kishida promised that the government would find money to “drastically increase Japan’s defense capabilities,” public broadcaster NHK reported. The Prime Minister confirmed, among other things, the announcement of acquiring long-range missiles, which are to give the country the opportunity to counterattack the territories of potential enemies.
Japanese naval exercises. Archival videoReuters Archive
The head of the Japanese government also recalled that Japanese Self-Defense Force planes evacuated Japanese and other foreigners from Israel in connection with the fighting between this country and Palestinian Hamas fighters. According to NHK, additional cargo planes are on alert Jordan and Greece in case more citizens need to be evacuated from the Middle East.
Main photo source: mil.ru