Submitted by admin on Tue, 2007-03-13 08:00. ::
JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was set to sign a ground-breaking defense pact with Australian Prime Minister John Howard today that both leaders have emphasized is not aimed at reining in China.
"As we look to the future, rather than to the past, it will be important for Australian and Japanese forces in different ways, consistent with the constitution of Japan, to work together more frequently and more closely in providing security for our region," Howard said in a speech after meeting Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma.
Some Australians still have bitter feelings about Japan because of World War II, and Howard has said he'd bring up Abe's recent comments denying the Japanese government directly forced women to become wartime sex slaves for Japanese soldiers.
Japan has in recent years pushed the limits of its US-drafted pacifist constitution, and Abe wants to rewrite the document to clarify the legal status of its military and facilitate a bigger global security role.
The four-part defense agreement sets priorities for security cooperation in such areas as counter-terrorism, maritime security, border protection and disaster relief.
Echoing earlier remarks by Howard, Abe said the deal was not aimed at reining in China and that it would help stabilize the entire Asia-Pacific region.
"For our two countries to cooperate promotes the development of the region, as well as contributing to peace and security in the world at large," Abe told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio, speaking through an interpreter.
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