Latest news with #YoshidaYoshihide
NHK
5 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Defense chiefs of Japan, US, S.Korea reaffirm cooperation against Pyongyang
The top uniformed defense officials of Japan, the United States and South Korea have reaffirmed cooperation to address challenges posed by North Korea. Japan's Self-Defense Forces' Joint Staff chief General Yoshida Yoshihide and his US and South Korean counterparts, General Dan Caine and Admiral Kim Myung-soo, met in Seoul on Friday. It was the first visit by the SDF's top uniformed official to South Korea since 2010. Yoshida said at the beginning of the meeting that he hopes "to build a concrete system so that the trilateral defense cooperation will not be affected by the political situation of individual countries." Caine said North Korea and China are "undergoing an unprecedented military buildup." Kim said continuous trilateral collaboration is important because the "North's nuclear and missile threats are advancing and regional security challenges exist." In a joint statement issued after the meeting, they called on Pyongyang to immediately stop its nuclear and missile development programs and deployment of troops in Russia. It also stated that they recognized the importance of close trilateral cooperation in addressing security challenges posed by North Korea. South Korea's defense ministry announced that the three countries held joint drills, in which a US strategic bomber participated, on Friday. The South Korean administration of President Lee Jae-myung, who took office last month, aims to seek dialogue with the North. But the three countries made clear their intention to deepen their security cooperation with North Korea in mind.
NHK
12-06-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Japan's SDF chief expresses concern about Chinese fighter's abnormal proximity
The chief of Japan's Self-Defense Forces has expressed serious concerns about a Chinese fighter jet that flew extremely close to an SDF patrol plane over the sea. The Defense Ministry said the Maritime SDF's P-3C aircraft was followed by a Chinese fighter during its surveillance flight over the Pacific around Japan on Saturday and Sunday. It said that at one point in time the Chinese fighter approached with an abnormal proximity of about 45 meters. Yoshida Yoshihide, chief of staff of the SDF Joint Staff, told reporters on Thursday that he does not think the Chinese fighter jet got so close by mistake, and said the abnormal approach is a serious act that could induce an accidental collision. Yoshida noted that the SDF must be vigilant as the Chinese military expands its area of movement and intensifies its activities. He added that a sense of crisis is intensifying. He stressed the importance of the SDF to constantly demonstrate its will and capability to prevent any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force. Yoshida declined to comment on whether defense officials communicated on a hotline with their Chinese counterparts regarding this matter.
