Japan PM vows to strengthen military at int’l naval review

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says his country urgently needs to strengthen its military capabilities as security risks increase including threats from North Korea and Russia’s war on Ukraine. He was speaking at an international fleet review where 18 warships from 12 countries participated Sunday, including the United States, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea. South Korea joined for the first time in seven years, in the latest sign of improvement in strained ties between Tokyo and Seoul. Kishida said Japan urgently needs to build more warships, strengthen anti-missile capability and improve working conditions for troops. Increased military role is a sensitive issue because of Japan’s wartime history.