New Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi yesterday said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured him during a telephone call that the US commitment to defending Japan, including southern islets claimed by China, was unwavering.
Tokyo’s ties with China have been plagued by a territorial dispute over the Diaoyutais (釣魚台), a group of Japanese-administered islands in the East China Sea known as the Senkakus in Japan, as well as the legacy of Japan’s past military aggression.
“Secretary Blinken stated that US commitment to defending Japan, including the application of Article 5 of the Japan-US Security Treaty for the Senkaku islands, was unwavering,” Hayashi told reporters.
Photo: Reuters
The treaty’s Article 5 says each party recognizes an armed attack on territories under Japan’s administration would be dangerous to its peace and safety, and would act to meet the common danger.
Hayashi said that he and Blinken shared the view that the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait is important.
Cross-strait tensions have been rising, and China last month made a record number of air incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
Hayashi and Blinken strongly opposed China’s unilateral attempts to change the “status quo” in the East and South China Seas, and agreed on close cooperation between the two allies in responding to issues regarding China, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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