Shinzo Abe tells SDF cadets Japan seeks stronger U.S. security ties

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday that Japan should strengthen its security alliance with the United States, citing North Korea's abductions, nuclear program and missile launches as well as other challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. "There is a need to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance while steadily upgrading our country's national security platform in order to protect the people's lives, health and property," Abe said in an address to Self-Defense Forces cadets at a graduation ceremony at the National Defense Academy in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.

As for the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, the premier said, "There exist various challenging problems, ranging from North Korea's abductions, nuclear development and ballistic missile launches to regional conflicts stemming from complex and diverse factors and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction." The speech was made for this year's 421 graduates, including 30 women and 10 students from Indonesia, Mongolia, Thailand and Vietnam. Of the graduates, 10 have declined to join the SDF.