South Korea and Japan need to strengthen their bilateral security cooperation as the United States’ attention remains diverted by its war in the Middle East, former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday. Speaking at ASAN Plenum 2026 in Seoul, Ishiba also said the two East Asian neighbors should take the lead on discussions at the United Nations about the oil supply disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz as part of security measures based on U.N. resolutions. “Amid an increasingly severe security environment in the Western Pacific, the U.S. continues to face a situation in which it must divide its attention and resources with the Middle East,” Ishiba said at the forum hosted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. The former Japanese prime minister was a keynote speaker at the gathering, which explored new directions for the U.S.-led alliance, under the theme “Modernizing Alliances.” He described the security environment in the Western Pacific — which includes countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania — as “increasingly tense,” pointing to the sight
S. Korea, Japan must step up cooperation as US divides focus between Pacific, Middle East: ex-Japanese PM
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