In the East and South China Seas, we continue to witness unprovoked, unilateral attempts to alter the status quo based on assertions incompatible with existing international norms. In the East China Sea, government ships of a certain country continue to make periodic incursions into Japanese territorial waters. Regarding the South China Sea, the final award was rendered in the arbitration between the Philippines and China in July 2016. Despite the fact that this award is binding on both parties, the construction of outposts in the South China Sea and their use for military purposes continues. I am deeply concerned about the situation. The international community has an enormous stake in ensuring the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. The Indo-Pacific region also faces threats emanating from terrorism, piracy, illegal migration and cyber-attacks.
In short, the rules-based regional order is under challenge. International rules and the order they underpin are not self-sustaining. Without the conscious, continued efforts of all nations and cooperation among them to validate these rules, they will hollow out. There is no room for complacency. If we are to seek peace and prosperity, we need to summon our resolve. We should not allow parochial pursuit of short-term gain to prevail at the expense of our long-term, shared interests. Now is the time to form a scrum to protect the rules-based order. In doing so, I believe that solidarity is the key.
To provide for stronger solidarity, I would posit that three “C”s are in order: Confidence building, Capacity building and Combined effort. The first “C” is confidence building. This is a prerequisite for more practical cooperation that contributes to solidarity among countries. States of this region have engaged in confidence building, but we should continue our efforts to achieve even greater trust and confidence. We should encourage, for example, enhancing the networks among the region’s uniformed personnel, civilian officials and academic researchers.
The second “C” is capacity building. Capacity building cooperation leads to stronger solidarity through the improvement of the region’s overall capability in the security arena, thereby expanding the horizon of practical cooperation among countries in the region. As part of Japan’s whole-of-government efforts, Japan’s Ministry of Defense has enhanced capacity building cooperation with ASEAN partners on a wide range of capability areas. These areas include: the promotion of international law, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. In November 2016, we announced the “Vientiane Vision,” which represents a comprehensive and transparent picture of Japan’s defense cooperation with ASEAN. In accordance with the Vientiane Vision, we will continue capacity building cooperation with our ASEAN partners, and fully support ASEAN’s efforts to promote its centrality and unity.
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