Japan calls for united Pacific security at Defence Ministers Summit in Tokyo

Japan’s Minister of Defence, Shinjiro Koizumi, called for collective action to “safeguard the Pacific as the ocean of peace” as he opened the 3rd Japan Pacific Islands Defense Ministers Dialogue (JPIDD) in Tokyo on 23 February. The meeting brought together representatives from 28 countries, including defence ministers from Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and other Pacific Island Countries (PICs), as well as partner nations and ASEAN member states.