MUNICH -- Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Saturday underlined Japan's determination to play a role in protecting a free and open international order.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Hayashi said Japan would "contribute to regional security" by fundamentally strengthening its own defense capabilities, while emphasizing that the security of the Indo-Pacific and Europe are inseparable.
Hayashi explained that Japan had drastically changed its policy toward Russia in response to that country's aggression against Ukraine, adding that Tokyo had imposed severe sanctions on Moscow.
