DUBAI: The Japanese Defense Minister HAMADA Yasukazu on Tuesday met with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Gantz to sign the recently revised “Memorandum on Defense Exchanges between the Ministry of Defense of Japan and the Ministry of Defense of the State of Israel.” The meeting, which took place in Tokyo, also commemorated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Israel. The two ministers confirmed their efforts to further promote Japan-Israel defense cooperation. Hamada said Japan will uphold efforts to reinforce a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and stated that this vision will contribute to the development of the Middle East. Gantz agreed that the two countries will continue to work together to achieve regional peace and stability. They also exchanged views on bilateral defense cooperation and affirmed that the two countries will continue to maintain close communication between the defense authorities. The ministers discussed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the East and South China Seas and agreed that they strongly opposed any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force or any action that would increase tensions. * This article was originally published on Arab news Japan