[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] It is reported that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is coordinating his attendance at the Asia Security Conference to be held in Singapore on July 4-5.
On the 12th, the Mainichi Shimbun, citing Japanese government officials, reported that Prime Minister Suga is considering delivering a keynote speech at the conference emphasizing strengthening cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.
This attendance appears to be promoted as a way to highlight cooperation with Asian countries with China in mind.
Prime Minister Suga recently made clear his stance to check China by mentioning the Taiwan issue in the joint statement of the summit with U.S. President Joe Biden.
Katsunobu Kato, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, also mentioned at a press conference the day before that Prime Minister Suga has been invited and that the final decision on attendance will be made considering the COVID-19 situation.
In 2014, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe criticized China's maritime expansion policy, which led to conflicts with countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam, at the Asia Security Conference.
The Asia Security Conference is mainly attended by defense officials from the Asia-Pacific region, and the Mainichi reported that Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi is coordinating a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the occasion of this conference.
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