Japan PM contender Kishida: Will boost security policies with China in mind

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership candidate and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida attends a debate for the LDP leadership election in Tokyo, Japan September 12, 2020. Charly Triballeau/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) - A contender for the chief of Japan's ruling party, and by extension the nation's next prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said on Monday the country needed to let its coast guard work smoothly with self-defence forces in the face of China's assertiveness.

The former foreign minister also stressed the importance of protecting human rights, democracy and freedom and added that, if elected, he would set up a prime ministerial aide to monitor China's treatment of its Uyghur ethnic minority.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Writing by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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