Japan, Britain defense chiefs share concerns over China’s military conduct

The Mainichi - TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his British counterpart John Healey on Wednesday shared serious concerns over China's recent military activities in an online meeting.

Koizumi briefed Healey on an incident in which Chinese military aircraft directed radar at Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighters off Okinawa Prefecture on Dec. 6, and a joint flight by Chinese and Russian bombers off Japan from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean that occurred three days later.

The ministers "shared their serious concerns over these incidents, which increase the risk of miscalculation and further escalation, and stressed their unwavering commitment to a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific," Japan's Defense Ministry said.

Beijing has ramped up pressure on Tokyo since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made comments on Nov. 7 on a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan.

The defense chiefs also agreed to continue working closely on areas such as cyber, space, defense equipment and technological cooperation, according to the ministry.

Japan, Britain and Italy are jointly developing next-generation fighter jets.