1 Month On, Real Test Awaits Japan Defense Chief Koizumi

Tokyo, Nov. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is trying to raise his profile, including by actively disseminating through social media and other means information on the military movements of countries around Japan and responses by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. With a month having passed since taking office, the minister appears to be succeeding in dispelling the image that he lacks experience regarding defense-related issues. Difficult challenges, such as a planned revision of the government’s three key security-related documents, await him, however. He is now set to face an important test as to whether he can pave the way for strengthening the country’s defense capabilities while obtaining understanding of the public. On Saturday, Koizumi visited Okinawa Prefecture for the first time since assuming the defense portfolio Oct. 21, when the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was launched. He toured Miyako and Ishigaki islands in the southernmost Japan prefecture, both of which are expected to become key bases for the defense of the country’s strategically important southwest. “I deepened my determination to protect the lives and peaceful livelihoods of the Japanese people as well as Japan’s territories, territorial waters and airspace no matter what,” he told reporters after the visit to the islands, which are part of the country’s Nansei southwestern islands. During the first month in office, Koizumi often visited SDF commands and other related facilities to emphasize his focus on people on the ground. During a visit to the Maritime SDF’s Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture, adjacent to Tokyo, the minister promoted Japanese-made defense equipment aboard a Mogami-class frigate, which will be a base of a new destroyer that Australia is set to introduce. In addition, Koizumi held talks with his counterparts from like-minded countries to build personal relationships of trust with them. As part of the efforts, he presented a “sukajan” jacket, a specialty of the city of Yokosuka, his hometown, to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A senior Japanese Defense Ministry official praised Koizumi, saying that he has “a strong sense of mission regarding the defense of Japan.” As the security environment surrounding Japan is increasingly severe, whether Koizumi can achieve results as defense minister will be strictly scrutinized. Among a host of challenges, the government’s plan to revise the three key national security-related documents next year will certainly be a major hurdle. One of the focal issues will be how much the proportion of defense spending can be raised from 2 pct of Japan’s gross domestic product. As this could increase the financial burden on the public, Koizumi would need to give careful and detailed explanations. It also looks certain that Koizumi will be grilled by opposition parties in parliamentary debates over the government’s plan to ease rules on exports of defense equipment, currently limited to five categories, including rescue and transportation. Takaichi’s recent remarks on a potential Taiwan contingency has drawn the ire of China, which regards the self-ruled island as a renegade province and aims to unite it with the country’s mainland. There is a possibility that China will increase military coercion, and Koizumi’s ability to deal with such a situation is expected to be put to the test, informed sources said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]