ISLAMABAD: Japan and Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to peace and dialogue on Thursday on the 72nd anniversary of Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Day.
Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Shuichi Akamatsu hosted a reception on Thursday to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Day.
The ceremony was attended by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif as the chief guest and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, member of the National Assembly and former prime minister of Pakistan, as the special guest on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari. They joined Ambassador Akamatsu in cutting the commemorative cake following the national anthems of Japan and Pakistan and speeches by the dignitaries.
A video message from Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi Shinjiro was also played. The reception was attended by military officials, government ministers, parliamentarians, senior officials, diplomatic representatives and prominent figures from the public and private sectors.
In his speech, Ambassador Akamatsu said the history of the Japan Self-Defense Forces embodied Japan’s “will to seek peace”. The JSDF continued to adhere to the principles of “pacifism” and the policy of “exclusive defence”.
“The peace we seek is not of ‘silence’ but of ‘dialogue’, not ‘division’ but ‘cooperation’, and not one governed by ‘force’ but one underpinned by the ‘rule of law’,” the ambassador said.
He also said that preserving peace required more than a display of military power and demanded the continuous building of bridges through dialogue.
“I am convinced that Pakistan’s exceptional diplomatic skill in transforming ‘dispute’ into ‘dialogue’ deserves the highest recognition and praise from the international community,” he said.
Ambassador Akamatsu also recalled several instances of cooperation involving the JSDF. These included educational exchanges, such as the acceptance of international students at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Fuji School; airlift assistance by a Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter unit during the 2010 floods in northwestern Pakistan; and the participation of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s escort ship Murasame in the multinational naval exercise AMAN 25.
