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Japan’s Ishiba keen on Asian version of NATO

Ishiba said that the central government will facilitate moves to reflect rising prices and labor costs in public procurement contracts between local governments and companies. (AFP)
Ishiba said that the central government will facilitate moves to reflect rising prices and labor costs in public procurement contracts between local governments and companies. (AFP)
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10 Dec 2024 03:12:43 GMT9
10 Dec 2024 03:12:43 GMT9

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru on Tuesday again voiced his eagerness to establish an Asian version of NATO.

The deterrence provided by the United States has relatively weakened, Ishiba said of the East Asian security environment at a meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Japan’s parliament.

“How we maintain the balance of power (in the region) is an obvious question we should be asking when thinking about military affairs,” he said.

While admitting that there are constitutional interpretation issues over collective defense, Ishiba stated, “Deciding from the very start that (collective defense) shouldn’t be allowed is just giving up thinking.”

On the recently adopted economic package, Ishiba said that the central government will facilitate moves to reflect rising prices and labor costs in public procurement contracts between local governments and companies.

Kazuhiko Shigetoku, policy leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said that fresh outlays for a fund related to the space policy were added in a draft supplementary budget for fiscal 2024 without adequate assessments of results achieved in the area so far.

Ishiba called for understanding, saying that Japan cannot survive fierce competition with other countries unless it boosts such funding.

JIJI Press

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