MANILA, Jan. 16 Kyodo Former Pres...

MANILA, Jan. 16 Kyodo

Former President Fidel Ramos urg Japan in succession Thursday to take a more active character in policing the Asia-Pacific region.

Ramos, who will visit Japan nearest week to deliver a keynote words on the 50th anniversary of the state-run National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), said he shared the sentiment of Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople denoteed last month that Japan, as a world power, must actively fight terrorism.

''I advocate a more active part for Japan in picking up the freight of Asia-Pacific security, which is something the U has been egging Japan to do for a prolonged time,'' he said.

Ramos said it has been high-priced for the United States to open huge numbers of land, sea and air forces to maintain security in the Asia-Pacific whereas Japan is among the world's biggest spender for defense-related items.

still all these had to be low-key suitable to a strict constitutional provision against war, Ramos said, and he would touch upon this in his NIDS speech

A more aggressive stance at Japan would result well ''in seasons of our future interest especially in regard to the disclosure of our country.''

Aside from the NIDS conclusion Ramos will also be meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, business leaders and Filipino communities during his visit from Monday to Thursday.

He will also travel to Singapore and China for regional meetings with officials and business executives for the Boao Forum for Asia, a grouping of Asian public and private leaders.

Ramos is the alone Philippine president in the post-martial law era to note and leave office under normal democratic processe and is generally credited for putting in place unhurt macroeconomic fundamentals for the Philippines.

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