Japan is ready to assist Pacific Island countries, including Papua New Guinea, prepare for any missile attack by North Korea.
Japan’s Deputy Press Secretary for the Deputy-Director General for Press and Public Diplomacy, Masato Otaka, said they will always be ready to listen to the voices of the island countries.
Otaka told Loop PNG during a dialogue with Asia Pacific journalists that Japan is ready to assist with the needs of small island nations in the Asia Pacific region.
The journalists are in Japan as part of the 2017 Jefferson Fellowships program, organised by the East-West Center based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Otaka said Japan believes that all countries in the region should be concerned about what is happening in North Korea with their missile launch program.
“If an island nation is very concerned and wishes to know how Japan sees the situation with North Korea’s capabilities, we will be more than happy to share our views with your countries.
“And beyond that, if there’s something that Japan can help, Japan can always look into the possibilities as well in terms of security.
“North Korea’s advancing nuclear weapons and missile programs are a real threat not just for Japan and South Korea but for other Asia Pacific countries,” Otaka said.
He highlighted that North Korea can use their submarines and launch missiles anywhere in the world so this is a great concern.
Otaka added that in a recent meeting held by the United Nations Security Council in April, all the countries were very much concerned about the situation.
He stated that said Japan and the U.S, and possibly China and maybe Russia, can work together to see what should be the next step to apply pressure on North Korea.
He said in order to put pressure on North Korea, sanctions must be implemented by countries working together in bilateral relationships.