Christopher Luxon tells Japanese NZ will be ‘active and engaged’ in regional security

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meeting personnel at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Tokyo, Japan.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is committing New Zealand to doing more to defend and protect the Indo-Pacific region.

Delivering a foreign policy speech in Tokyo on Wednesday, Luxon said New Zealand “cannot just be an observer”.

“New geostrategic realities have made our region more complicated, more chaotic, and more challenging to navigate,” Luxon said.

“We can no longer take for granted the ability of the rules-based international order to deliver progress, safeguard our ambition, or protect our interests.

“And in this context, I will be clear. New Zealand will be active and engaged, working alongside Japan and other partners and friends, to use our agency, influence, and role in the world to contribute to and shape global and regional security.”

Luxon singled out Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and North Korea’s emerging nuclear capability as threats.

“Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang today underlines the interconnection between what happens in Europe, and stability in our region,” he said.

Luxon didn’t specifically mention China, but said, “It is clear that a serious escalation in the Taiwan Strait, or in the East China Sea, would have profound consequences for New Zealand and Japan, our region, and for the world.”

His comments follow yesterday’s announcement the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) will increase its contribution to monitoring North Korea’s compliance with United Nations sanctions, operating out of Japan.

While New Zealand has been monitoring compliance with sanctions since 2018, the Government has committed to sending NZDF ships for the first time, and increasing the frequency of deployments of aircraft over the next two years.

On Tuesday, Luxon visited the Yokosuka Naval Base, where he welcomed being photographed and videoed by media looking around a big warship.

He also met Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara ahead of his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tonight.

Nonetheless, the Government hasn’t made firm commitments to increasing what New Zealand spends on defence, proportionate to the size of the economy.

“I want us to exchange strategic perspectives more,” Luxon said during his speech in Tokyo.

“I want us to do more together on defence, including more bilateral and plurilateral exercises.

“We are working with the Government of Japan to ensure we have the architecture in place to underpin our increasing co-operation, so that we can share information easily and quickly, building trust; so that we can support joint activities between NZ Defence and Self-Defence Forces.”

Luxon made the point trade and defence were closely linked, as “prosperity is only possible with security.

“Trade flows drive our growth, support our prosperity, and enable the necessary investment in our security,” Luxon said.

“We are committed to working with Japan to ensure that CPTPP [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership] remains the benchmark for high trade standards…

“Looking forward, we will work together to expand CPTPP to economies that can adhere to its high standards so that the agreement continues to deliver for our businesses.”

Journalists received Government assistance for travel costs to Japan when the NZDF plane broke down in Papua New Guinea.

Jenée Tibshraeny is the Herald’s Wellington business editor, based in the Parliamentary press gallery. She specialises in government and Reserve Bank policymaking, economics and banking.