Japan must play core role in promoting multifaceted cooperation: Japan News

TOKYO (THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - It is welcoming that the leaders of the countries concerned have affirmed their cooperation on security and other issues in a vast region stretching from the Korean Peninsula to Japan and the Indo-Pacific.

Japan has a significant role to play at the core of multilayered cooperation, as indicated by the fact that a series of major talks were held in Tokyo. The leaders of the Quad, a framework for cooperation among the four countries of Japan, the United States, Australia and India, agreed at the summit to cooperate in various fields to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific.

This is the second in-person Quad summit since September last year. Australia's new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also attended the meeting, with his administration sticking to the policy of the previous one.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said: "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a head-on challenge to the principles written in the UN Charter. A similar thing must not be allowed to happen in the Indo-Pacific."

Stressing the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity regarding the Ukraine crisis, the Quad joint leaders' statement emphasised that "all countries must seek peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law."

The leaders did not mention Russia by name in the statement out of consideration for India, which has traditionally maintained friendly relations with Russia. At the Quad summit this time again, India has distinguished itself from the Group of Seven advanced nations in avoiding direct criticism of Moscow.

However, the destabilisation of the international situation would also have a negative impact on India. Japan should be persistent in its efforts to urge India to cooperate with other member nations so that Delhi does not become a loophole in the G7-led sanctions against Russia.

China has been stepping up its hegemonic behaviour in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, expanding its influence over small island states and other nations in the region.

The joint statement's emphasis on compliance with international law and the maintenance of freedom of navigation and overflight to "meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order" should serve as a check on China.

The four countries have said they aim to provide more than US$50 billion (S$68.6 billion) in infrastructure assistance, with nations in South-east Asia and other countries in mind. It is important to utilise Japan's expertise in aid to promote high-quality infrastructure development.

In the area of advanced technology, too, where competition with China is intensifying, the four countries intend to deepen their cooperation on 5G, a high-speed, high-capacity communication standard.

The four countries have already been providing assistance to developing countries, mainly in areas such as infectious disease control and disaster prevention. Further expanding areas of cooperation and contributing to the development of other countries would lead to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Other countries, such as Britain, France and Germany, are also raising their interest in the region. It is vital to accumulate tangible results by making efforts to communicate with Europe.