Japan defense chief urges ASEAN unity, warns "dangerous miscalculations"

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called for unity among Southeast Asian nations Wednesday as a rapid shift in the regional military balance is raising the risk of "dangerous miscalculations," in an apparent reference to China's naval activities in the South China Sea.Given the rising risk of "coercion against vulnerable countries," along with natural disasters and conflicts around the world, the security environment surrounding ASEAN is "deteriorating rapidly," Koizumi said in a speech delivered at a meeting between defense chiefs of Japan and the 11 members of the Association of …READ FULL ARTICLE