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In the first visit to South Korea by a Japanese defense chief in a decade, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani met officials from the South Korea and US, as well as his Philippine counterpart, with the multi-party interactions seen as targeting China, according to multiple media reports. 

Experts said Japan's Defense Minister's visit, coupled with intensive military interactions with the US, South Korea, and the Philippines, not only heightens the risk of militarization in the Asia-Pacific but also undermines the foundation of regional cooperation built upon consensus.

Nakatani on Tuesday visited South Korea's 2nd Fleet Command at Pyeongtaek, per Nikkei Asia. On Monday, Nakatani met with US Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of USFK, and Nakatani shared concerns about the increasingly close relationships among China, Russia and North Korea, the report said.

The report also noted that Nakatani's visit to South Korea also sought to promote cooperation with South Korea as a like-minded country in the rules-based international order.

Nakatani emphasized the importance of Japan-South Korea and Japan-South Korea-US cooperation, suggest the two countries should increase multilateral security cooperation with partners such as Australia and the Philippines, the report said.

The Reciprocal Access Agreement between the Philippines and Japan will formally enter into force on September 11, Philippine News Agency previously reported. Nakatani and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, also agreed Tuesday to boost cooperation on defense equipment and technology in response to so-called China's assertiveness in the East and South China seas, Kyodo News reported. 

Japan's export of retired Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers to the Philippines has also become a topic of discussion, per the report. 

After the meeting, Nakatani told reporters, "The fact that we confirmed our commitment to deepening defense cooperation is very meaningful for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," Jiji Press reported.

The Philippines' provocations in the South China Sea, Japan's export of the equipment to the Philippines, and the strategic deployment of US military bases in South Korea all indicate that the US is weaving a containment network against China through a "proxy" mechanism, Lü Chao, an expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Japan's Defense Minister's first visit to South Korea in a decade, coupled with intensive military interactions with the US, South Korea, and the Philippines, ostensibly aims to "uphold international order" but is, in reality, part of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy to build a network to contain China, Lü said.

"Such moves not only contradict the shared aspirations of Asia-Pacific nations for peace and development but may also provoke an escalation of regional conflicts," the expert noted.