Japan’s Minister of Defence Kishi Nobuo. (File photo: AFP/VNA)

Kishi told the ongoing Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore that as ASEAN is located at the intersection of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, it plays an inseparable role in realizing the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) vision that Japan is pursuing.

He emphasized that in the absence of an inclusive framework in the Indo-Pacific region, strengthening international law through the cooperation mechanisms that ASEAN plays central roles such as ASEAN-Japan, ASEAN+3, and East Asia Summit (EAS) are indispensable for FOIP implementation.

He said that the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+) and the cooperation mechanism between the US, Japan, Australia, and India are extremely important for consolidating regional security.