Japanese protesters denounce US-Japan "2+2" talks, Quad meeting

Crowds of activists have marched through central Tokyo to protest against "2+2" security talks between Japan and the United States and a Quad foreign ministers' meeting, saying the U.S.-led military alliance will increase the possibility of war. Top Japanese and U.S. diplomats and defense chiefs held the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee meeting, known as "2+2", in Tokyo on Sunday, followed by a meeting on Monday of the Quad group, where the foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. discussed maritime security and initiatives to strengthen cyber defenses.

In the "2+2" security talks, the U.S. announced plans for a major revamp of its military command in Japan to deepen coordination with the Japanese forces.

Not far from the meeting venue, the protesters marched to denounce the meetings for fueling tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

They said strengthening U.S.-Japan military ties will only accelerate the arms race and drive the country closer to war.

"I think this agreement will eventually unify the U.S. military and the self-defense forces, strengthening their cooperation, unifying the chain of command, which clearly has China in mind and is a posturing for war. I strongly object to this," said Tomoko Horaguchi from Suginami Ward Council.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said the Quad grouping was about protecting the foundations of prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, and achieving co-existence with the international community. But protesters said beefing up the security pact will only fuel tensions in the region, amid ongoing conflicts across the globe.

In an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) on Monday in Tokyo, Ukeru Magosai, head of the East Asian Community Institute, said that the deepening of cooperation in military and other fields between Japan and the U.S. risked inflaming the situation in the Asia-Pacific region and threaten regional security and stability.

"The U.S. will avoid direct involvement in the war as much as possible, but increase its options by using Japan's self-defense forces. It is the biggest goal of the U.S. to utilize Japan's self-defense forces for its strategic purposes. It is said that Japan and the U.S. jointly command the integrated system, but in reality it is the U.S. that judges the situation and makes decisions. In the future, Japan may be automatically drawn into various situations," he said.

Magosai said that the U.S. attempt to strengthen the so-called "extended deterrence" and place its allies under its "nuclear umbrella" will only increase regional tensions and push Japan to the forefront of conflict and confrontation.

Although Japan's security situation has not changed for a long time, he said, the Japanese government has been intensifying its military and diplomatic ties with the U.S. on the grounds of security, helping it intervene in the Asia-Pacific region and stoke regional tensions.

"What the U.S. is doing now is stirring tensions by binding Japan to issues that have nothing to do with Japan's security. Japan's response will further disturb the regional situation," he said.

Japanese protesters denounce US-Japan "2+2" talks, Quad meeting

Peace talks on the settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict require equality, autonomous negotiators and trust, said Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin on Friday, on the sidelines of the 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which was held from Thursday to Saturday.

Khrenin talked about the military relations between Belarus and China, and the Ukraine issue.

Before attending the second plenary session of the forum, Khrenin said he hoped to expound Belarus' views and positions on the international situation in an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV).

"I hope to expound our views and position on the increasingly complex situation, globally on the whole or just about Belarus. I want to expound our views on how the international community develops and how all parties seek common ground," he said.

Noting that China and Belarus have strengthened military cooperation since they established diplomatic ties 32 years ago, Khrenin said he was deeply impressed with the "Eagle Assault 2024" joint exercise between the two countries in July this year.

"I noticed some details in the exercise, and what's the most important is that the Chinese and Belarusian servicemen in one group and one operation didn't need any translator but could understand each other. It shows that our armies share tacit understanding, which is very important," he said.

Khrenin also recalled the moment that the guard of honor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army participated in the parade marking the 80th anniversary of Belarus' liberation from Nazi invaders.

"I thank Chinese leaders for dispatching troops to Belarus on the occasion of such an important festival. The Belarusian people warmly welcomed them just like greeting their family members," he said.

Khrenin also explained why Belarus has decided to establish a system against unmanned aerial vehicles.

"The Ukraine crisis has shown how modes of operation and forms of war are changing, so we are in full swing to work in this direction because we know such weapons may target us too," he said.

With the Ukraine crisis entering its third year, Khrenin put forward three conditions for resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict through peace talks.

"It is a pity that we haven't seen any sign of the easing of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but we can see that it is not Ukraine's independent decision. Of course, the main beneficiary in the conflict is the West, especially the United States who does not want to lose its hegemony. However, they don't understand that the current world has become multipolar, so it is always possible to resolve conflict through peace talks. Meanwhile, rigid conditions are needed to conduct such negotiations today. One of the important conditions is equality, the second is the autonomy of negotiators, which Ukraine doesn't have yet, and the third is trust," he said.

Initiated in 2006, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum is a high-level security and defense forum in the Asia-Pacific region with significant international influence.

Peace talks on Russia-Ukraine conflict need equality, autonomous negotiators, trust: Belarusian defense minister