New Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said Sunday that he is ¡°very concerned¡± about China¡¯s rapid military buildup and moves in the East and South China seas, calling trilateral security cooperation between Japan, South Korea and the United States ¡°the cornerstone¡± of Tokyo¡¯s response to an increasingly tense regional environment that also includes North Korea and Russia.
Kihara, who replaced his predecessor, Yasukazu Hamada, in a Cabinet reshuffle Wednesday, highlighted the need for continuity as Japan continues to shed some of the postwar constraints on its military amid a number of growing threats.
¡°In the face of the most severe and complicated security environment since the end of World War II, I would like to maintain the direction of my predecessor to fundamentally strengthen our defense capabilities,¡± he told an NHK television program.
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