SINGAPORE: Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned a security summit on Friday that “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow”.

Officials in the United States have been saying since Russia’s action against Ukraine that they believe China is closely monitoring how the invasion progresses to assess its own plans when it comes to Taiwan.

Kishida told the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore that while Japan is a peace-loving nation, the changing regional and global security landscape has prompted Tokyo to reassess its own defence position.

“In light of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, countries’ perceptions on security have drastically changed around the world,” he said in a keynote address to defence ministers, senior military officers and analysts attending the summit.

He cited Germany shifting its security policy by raising its defence budget to two percent of gross domestic product and Finland and Sweden abandoning their traditional neutrality to push for Nato membership.

“I myself have a strong sense of urgency that Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow,” said Kishida, whose country has joined West-led sanctions against Russia.

As prime minister, Kishida said he has the responsibility “to protect the lives and assets of the Japanese people” while contributing to regional peace and security.

He warned that the world must be “prepared for the emergence of an entity that tramples on the peace and security of other countries by force or threat without honouring the rules”.

Kishida called for the “rules-based international order” to be upheld, in what appeared to be a veiled reference to China’s growing assertiveness in the Asia Pacific region.

To protect itself, Japan needs to “enhance our deterrence and response capabilities”, he said, adding that his government would set out a new national security strategy by the end of this year.

Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has laid out longer-term policy goals, including expanding Japan’s defence budget beyond two percent of GDP, a ratio that would put it on par with members of Nato.

Published in Dawn,June 11th, 2022