Advertisement
Japan
AsiaEast Asia

Japan hosts fleet review with South Korea navy in sign of thawing ties, amid concerns over North threat

  • South Korea’s participation comes as President Yoon Suk-yeol has been working to improve trilateral defence cooperation with the United States and Japan
  • Japanese PM Fumio Kishida says the country cannot accept North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force‘s multi-purpose destroyer Izumo (DDH-183) leading the fleet during the International Fleet Review at Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, on Sunday. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters
Kyodo
Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) held an international naval fleet review on Sunday in the wake of North Korea firing off ballistic missiles at an unprecedented pace, with South Korea’s navy participating amid efforts by the two East Asian neighbours to thaw their icy relations.

The MSDF said 18 vessels from 12 nations, including Australia, Canada, India and the United States, as well as a total of six French and US warplanes, joined the review.

A mass of vessels and aircraft gathered at Sagami Bay off Kanagawa prefecture, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida inspecting the fleets.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida walks on the Maritime Self-Defence Force’s helicopter carrier JS Izumo during an international fleet review in Sagami Bay on Sunday. Photo: Kyodo News via AP
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida walks on the Maritime Self-Defence Force’s helicopter carrier JS Izumo during an international fleet review in Sagami Bay on Sunday. Photo: Kyodo News via AP

On board the MSDF carrier Izumo, Kishida said North Korea had been launching ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, more frequently than ever since earlier this year.

“North Korea fired a missile that flew over our country,” Kishida said, referring to one launched on October 4. “We can never tolerate (North Korea’s) nuclear and missile development,” he said.

The prime minister also said Japan could not accept Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, adding, “Unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, such as the invasion of Ukraine, must never be tolerated in any part of the world.”
In a veiled reference against China, Kishida said, “The security environment surrounding our country, including the East China Sea and the South China Sea, is rapidly becoming more severe,” stressing the necessity to prepare against any threat and vowing to drastically ramp up Japan’s defence capabilities.

Japan hosted the International Fleet Review for the first time in 20 years to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the MSDF this year. The country has held a fleet review on a smaller scale every three years in principle and South Korea’s last participation in such an event was in 2015.

Advertisement