Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary: "Areas Surrounding Japan" not a Geographical Concept.
The Japanese government's view on the "areas surrounding Japan" in the revised Japan-US defense cooperation guidelines has not changed, which is not a geographical concept, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka told a news conference yesterday in Tokyo.
The Japan-US security system and updated defense guidelines are all defensive and will not be directed against specific nations, Nonaka said.
It is the first time that the Japanese government's response toward Japan's Liberal Party leader Ichiro Ozawa's claim that the scope of the updated Japan-US defense cooperation guidelines includes Russia, the Korean Peninsula and China's Taiwan.
The Japanese government has clarified Ozawa's remarks on the basis of Nonaka's speech to the Chinese side through foreign channel.
Indepth 1999-01-19 Page6
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