KUALA LUMPUR: Concerted efforts to maintain peace is vital for regional stability and security, Japanese ambassador Katsuhiko Takahashi said.
Speaking at a reception to commemorate the '68th JSDF Day' which he hosted at his residence in Jalan Langgak Golf, Takahashi said the Japan Self-Defence Forces (JSDF) had been working diligently towards the peace and stability of Southeast Asia, as well as that of Northeast Asia.
"We must maintain peace through our strenuous efforts in defence and diplomacy. Japan looks forward to working together with Malaysia, towards this regard."
"Asian countries are experiencing economic growth and coming to political maturity, but it is at crossroads in terms of security.
"Also in the East China Sea, we still witness unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, in violation of international law.
"Japan is taking a firm stand against such attempts together with like-minded countries,"
Present were the guest-of-honour Armed Forces Defence Intelligence Staff Division director-general Lt Gen Datuk Ahmad Norihan Jalal, the ambassador's wife Mami Takahashi, ambassadors and Military Attaché Corps members comprising foreign defence advisors and attaches.
Takahashi also touched on Russia's aggression against Ukraine, saying it started when the world was on a road towards economic recovery from the global Covid-19 pandemic.
He said no country or region in the world could shrug it off as "someone else's problem".
"It is a situation that shakes the very foundations of the international order, and every country needs to regard the problem as their own affair," he explained.
On the JSDF Day, Takahashi said that he was particularly elated to hold the reception at a period when Japan and Malaysia were celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 'Look East Policy' and the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Looking back, Takahashi said Japan's modern military forces were established in 1871, soon after the feudal Samurai era ended.
The forces were transformed into the present form with the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defence Forces in 1954.
"Since then, the tenacious activities of our self-defence forces and the personnel have led to a better understanding about their significance in the political arena.
"I am encouraged by how firmly their roles and responsibilities are supported, internally and externally, and under the current diplomatic and security environment.
"The mission of our self-defence forces has become ever more crucial amid the turbulent security environment surrounding Japan and East Asia," Takahashi said.
He added that the Japan-Malaysia defence cooperation had been expanding, year after year, as an integral pillar of their strategic partnership.
"The then Malaysian defence minister visited Japan in 2018 and concluded a memorandum-of-agreement to reinvigorate our bilateral defence cooperation.
"An agreement for the transfer of defence equipment and technologies was also signed in the same year," he said.
