ABC: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
TOKYO —\u00a0Japan\u2019s Prime Minister\u00a0Shigeru Ishiba<\/a>\u00a0renewed a pledge Saturday to build up his country\u2019s military and deepen its alliance with the United States under President-elect Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ishiba, who made the comments at an annual troop review held at Camp Asaka in the Tokyo suburbs, said the security environment surrounding Japan and the international community has significantly worsened due to escalating tensions with China, Russia and North Korea. He pledged to reinforce Japan\u2019s military power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said breaches of Japanese airspace by Chinese and Russian warplanes<\/a> earlier in the year \u201cnot only violated Japanese sovereignty but also threatened the safety of Japan, and are absolutely unacceptable.\u201d He said Japan faces growing threats from China\u2019s accelerating military activity around Japanese coasts and from North Korea\u2019s repeated missile firings<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs we face the most severe and complex security environment, I will balance and strengthen Japan\u2019s diplomacy and security,\u201d Ishiba said in his speech before hundreds of troops gathered for the ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Japan-U.S. alliance is the lynchpin for achieving this, Ishiba said, pledging to elevate Japan’s ties with the United States and work closely with Trump as they agreed during a brief telephone conversation Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ishiba took office on Oct. 1, replacing his unpopular predecessor Fumio Kishida but his governing coalition badly lost a recent parliamentary election and could face difficulty pursuing his party\u2019s planned policies and budget plans in coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n