Cambodia has expressed support for Japan ‘s plan to give the
Self-Defense Forces a greater role to contribute to peace and stability
within the global community, said Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio
Kishida.
Kishida made the statement after his talks
with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong on June 30 in Phnom Penh
as part of his visit to the Southeast Asian country.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to obtain Cabinet approval on
July 1 to reinterpret the Constitution to allow Japan to exercise
the right to collective self-defense, he added.
During the talks, the two foreign ministers shared concern about the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ’s launch of ballistic
missiles on June 29.
They also agreed that maritime
security needs to be maintained, given China ‘s growing assertiveness
in the East China Sea and East Sea , where tensions remain high over
territorial disputes involving China and Japan , as well as
Southeast Asian countries.
On the economic front,
Japan and Cambodia agreed to the early conclusion of an aviation
pact to start regular direct flights between the two countries.-VNA