Australia deserves permanent seat at G7 table: Japanese envoy

"There is no denying that the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in East Asia, has become more severe and worse. "You are right in pointing out China's dramatic and rapid military build-up along with their assertive or sometimes even aggressive external behaviour. "But at the same time it is more than China. We have been witnessing the development of a nuclear and missile program on the part of North Korea. And Russia is Japan's immediate neighbour as well, and it has been conducting joint military exercises around Japan almost on a periodic basis. "So there are various attempts…