Japanese Defense Minister Fukushiro Nukaga proposed Saturday that Asia-Pacific countries establish a framework for joint relief operations by their military forces to cope with devastating natural disasters in the region.
"I would like to propose to develop strategies and procedures in advance to facilitate a fast response by armed forces in the face of disaster in this region," Nukaga said.
He made the remark in the text of his speech to Shangri-La Dialogue, a meeting of defense ministers primarily from the Asia-Pacific region sponsored by Britain''s International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Japanese Defense Minister Fukushiro Nukaga proposed Saturday that Asia-Pacific countries establish a framework for joint relief operations by their military forces to cope with devastating natural disasters in the region.
"I would like to propose to develop strategies and procedures in advance to facilitate a fast response by armed forces in the face of disaster in this region," Nukaga said.
He made the remark in the text of his speech to Shangri-La Dialogue, a meeting of defense ministers primarily from the Asia-Pacific region sponsored by Britain''s International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Nukaga thus suggested that countries in the region swiftly start discussions about how they can best notify each other of natural disasters and share their roles in disaster relief.
Nukaga referred to disaster-relief efforts by armed forces in the region after strong earthquakes that hit Pakistan in October 2005 and the Indonesian island of Java in late May.
Large natural disasters are one of the Asia-Pacific region''s "common security challenges," including international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Nukaga said.
Joint disaster relief by the Asia-Pacific armed forces could eventually develop into peace support operations such as assistance for a country''s rebuilding from a civil war or peace-building activity, he also said. (Jiji Press)
