Japan’s talks with Pacific islands focus on climate as security issues take back seat

Japanese and Pacific island leaders largely focused on climate change at their recent meeting even though Tokyo was keen to discuss security cooperation amid China’s growing military and economic influence in the region.

The environmental hot potato was a “major priority” for Pacific island nations while Japan was setting its sights on boosting security initiatives in partnership with its allies, according to observers.

At the talks held in Tokyo from Tuesday to Thursday, participants said they opposed “any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force”, in an inference to territorial disputes including the South China Sea.

The 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and representatives from 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), a regional body that also includes Australia and New Zealand.

The other 16 countries are the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia.

Kishida said Japan would work with its Pacific counterparts over the next three years in areas including climate change, economic development, disaster resilience and decarbonisation.

Both sides also agreed to strengthen defence exchanges through port calls with the involvement of vessels and aircraft from the Japan Self-Defence Forces and boost cooperation between the Japan coastguard and local maritime authorities.

Hideyuki Shiozawa, director of the Division of Island Nations at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, said the meeting’s focus on climate change was not a surprise as Pacific island nations had prioritised the issue.

While regional security