Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi on Monday held his first meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, since taking up the position in September. At the meeting by video conference, Kishi expressed "strong concern" to Wei, who is a state councillor as well as the defense minister, over China's behavior regarding the Senkaku islands in Okinawa prefecture. Kishi urged China to exercise restraint over its unilateral attempts to forcibly change the status quo, including intrusions into the territorial waters by government vessels.
It was the first meeting between the two nations' top defense officials in about a year. The meeting lasted about one hour and 35 minutes, exceeding the scheduled time.
During the meeting, Kishi explained Japan's position, saying, "The Senkaku Islands are unquestionably our territory both historically and under international law." He listed one by one the incidents of intrusion into Japan's territorial waters by the Chinese side and asked for China to refrain from such actions.
Regarding Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks at a joint press conference during his Japan visit last month, in which Wang attempted to justify Chinese government vessels' activities, Kishi criticized them as "completely unacceptable."
Kishi also conveyed his concerns over China's militarization in the South China Sea. He then called for improved transparency regarding China's national defense policy and military capabilities.
Wei reiterated China's conventional claim about the Senkaku Islands.
The two ministers agreed to accelerate coordination for the early opening of a dedicated telephone hotline between senior officials, as part of the Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism to avoid accidental clashes between the Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese military.
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