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Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, that he is “seriously concerned” about the intensifying military activities near Japan, as they met in Laos months after an airspace breach involving a Chinese spy plane.
Nakatani lodged a stern protest with China over the violation of Japan’s airspace on Aug. 26 and demanded that it not be repeated, according to Japanese officials. However, the two agreed to promote dialogue between their defense authorities to foster “mutually beneficial” relations, as recently agreed by the countries’ leaders.
Noting that the two countries have various outstanding security issues, Nakatani said at the outset of the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of an annual regional security meeting, “It is extremely important to hold candid discussions between defense authorities and continue communications.”
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (L) and his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, shake hands ahead of their talks in Laos on Nov. 21, 2024. (Kyodo)
Dong agreed that face-to-face discussions between the two countries’ defense authorities are important for the bilateral relationship and regional peace. However, he countered that China is concerned about Japan’s actions on issues such as Taiwan, which Beijing views as a renegade province.
It was the first Japan-China defense ministerial talks since Nakatani assumed the current post as a member of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet, launched on Oct. 1. The last such meeting was held in June in Singapore.
In late August, Japan confirmed for the first time that a Chinese military plane violated Japanese airspace over waters in the East China Sea off islands in Nagasaki Prefecture in southwestern Japan.
Following investigations on the Chinese side, the Japanese government announced earlier this week that China has admitted to the entry of one of its military planes into Japan’s airspace but said it was an unintentional incident caused by turbulence and vowed to take measures not to repeat it.
During the meeting, Nakatani also expressed concerns about the situation in the East China Sea, including the Senkaku Islands — a group of uninhabited islets controlled by Tokyo but claimed by China. Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly entered Japan’s territorial waters around the islands.
The two, meanwhile, agreed to properly operate their bilateral defense hotline, which was launched in 2023 with the aim of building mutual trust and avoiding incidents at sea and in the air, according to the Japanese officials.
They also agreed to promote bilateral defense dialogue with the aim of resuming exchanges between Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese military, which have been suspended since 2019 due to strained ties and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The meeting was held on the margins of a defense ministerial gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their regional partners in Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
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