Defense Ministers of the US, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines Hold Talks; Japan and the US Emphasize Strengthening "Deterrence Defense Capability"

Reference News Network reported on October 31 According to the Japan Economic News on October 29, defense ministers from Japan, the United States, Australia, and the Philippines held talks on the 28th in Cebu, a city in central Philippines. The parties confirmed their commitment to deepen security cooperation and agreed to strengthen multilateral joint training and policy consultations.

The four-country defense minister talks were held during the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting in the Philippines. Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin participated in the talks.

Kishi told reporters on the evening of the 28th, "In order to achieve peace and stability in the region, the four countries will further advance various defense cooperation."

Regarding Japan's plan to export the Maritime Self-Defense Force's "Abukuma" class frigates to the Philippines, Kishi stated that Japan would provide educational training support to the Philippine Navy before the equipment delivery.

According to reports, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana expressed gratitude for the "capacity-building support" provided by Japan.

On the 29th, ASEAN held an expanded meeting of defense ministers, with participants including Japan, the United States, Australia, South Korea, India, and other external countries. The defense attaché from the Chinese embassy in the Philippines attended as a representative of China.

According to Kyodo News on October 28, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi held talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Cebu on the 28th.

The two agreed to cooperate in building a defense system for the so-called "first island chain" connecting Japan's southwestern islands, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Additionally, they confirmed the importance of strengthening "deterrence capabilities." Japan plans to incorporate relevant content into the "Three Security Documents" that will be revised within the year.

Reports indicate that "deterrence defense" was included in the U.S. Trump administration's "National Defense Strategy" released in January this year, and this defense minister meeting indicates that Japan and the U.S. have reached a consensus on this issue.

According to information released by Japan's Ministry of Defense, the definition of "deterrence capability" is: to deter attempts to unilaterally change the status quo through the use of force and coercion, while possessing the ability to repel adversaries when Japan is attacked, thereby preventing the adversary from achieving its objectives.

During the talks, the Japanese and U.S. defense ministers reached a consensus on establishing a joint production and assembly facility for "AMRAAM" air-to-air missiles in Japan. The two sides also agreed to share relevant technical information to expand the production capacity of the "Standard"-3 Block IIA interceptor missiles. (Translated by Liu Lin)