Japan wants cooperative role in regional security

Jun 1, 4:14 AM EDT Japan wants cooperative role in regional security By HEATHER TAN Associated Press

World Video Multimedia Archery on horseback still draws crowd Ainu Rebels reclaim cultural pride Japanese defend whaling tradition Japan deals with 'Minimata Disease' Latest News Correction: Japan-Sex Slaves story Japan wants cooperative role in regional security Japan pledges $32 billion aid to Africa Kyodo News president to quit over applicant flap Correction: Japan-Wartime Apology story Buy AP Photo Reprints SINGAPORE (AP) -- Japan, which is engulfed in a bitter territorial dispute with China, told an annual security summit Saturday that it aimed to play a cooperative role in regional maritime disputes. The countries have been immersed in a long-running battle over what the Japanese call the Senkaku Islands and the Chinese call Diaoyutai. China recently asserted its dominance by sending government ships into Japanese territorial waters in April. "A strong Japan will play a responsible role in the area of regional security and exercise strong leadership as expected by the international community," Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told the meeting in Singapore. He stressed the importance of avoiding tensions in the region "not by violence but through dialogue," adding that Tokyo would promote regional cooperation. "These efforts are crucial in the pursuit of our national interest which is to maintain and strengthen international order based on fundamental values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law," Onodera said. Japan has boosted its defense budget and the size of its military for the first time in nearly a decade. Onodera said Japan was reviewing its defense policy and was in the process of creating a security council to address issues related to the military and national security. Onodera praised the U.S. military presence in the region, calling it `indispensable' and said both countries were working to increase Japan-U.S. cooperation. Onodera acknowledged challenges in Japan's relationship with Beijing, but said he expects China to play a responsible role as "a superpower." The islands are the focus of a decades-long dispute that reignited last September when the Japanese government purchased three of the islands from their private owners. Japan aimed to prevent the islands from being bought by Tokyo's former nationalist mayor, who wanted to build a dock there for Japanese fishing boats and backed sending experts to the islands to study the wildlife and terrain. The purchase prompted anti-Japanese protests in China, and Beijing has regularly sent ships to confront the Japanese coast guard in the area. Onodera added that he supported efforts by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to establish a code of conduct to reduce tension with China over the South China Sea. China also has numerous disputes with several countries over ownership of potentially oil-rich areas in the South China Sea.   KawamotoDragon.com