Japan Defense Chief Urges China to Prevent Airspace Violation

Tokyo, Nov. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani met with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on Thursday and urged the Chinese side to take thorough measures to prevent a recurrence of the recent violation of Japanese airspace by a Chinese military plane.

It was the first meeting between Nakatani and Dong since the Japanese minister took office.

The Chinese government has admitted the airspace violation, which occurred off the southwestern Japan prefecture of Nagasaki in August, while attributing the incident to an air current.

According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, Nakatani told Dong of his intention to facilitate communication between their countries' defense authorities after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed at a meeting in Peru last week to promote a mutually beneficial strategic relationship between their countries.

Nakatani also expressed concern over China's military activities in the East China Sea and joint activities with the Russian military, and stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]