Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair met with Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru on Friday to discuss peacekeeping, training and research opportunities in the Indo-Pacific.
In the talks, Blair expressed his country’s commitment to supporting a free, open and inclusive region amid provocations from North Korea, Russia’s growing influence and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
He took the opportunity to highlight Operation NEON, a Canadian Armed Forces-led initiative that contributes to implementing the United Nations Security Council sanctions imposed against Pyongyang. He announced that a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora Air Detachment would be deployed to Japan under the program.
Blair also brought up the Trudeau government’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and the role it has played in providing the North American nation a chance to participate in training exercises with regional partners.
Apart from securing peace and stability matters, the top defense officials also discussed collaboration opportunities in space. Minoru expressed Japan’s continued commitment to advancing space domain efforts through the Combined Space Operations program and the Schriever Wargame.