US reshapes military forces in Japan as regional tensions mount

CNN
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The United States will reshape its military forces in Japan Washington and Tokyo announced Sunday that the two countries are moving to deepen defense cooperation, in a comprehensive move to modernize their alliance in the face of growing security threats in Asia.

The announcement comes as Japan and the United States are warily watching a region where China is seen as increasingly aggressive in asserting its disputed territorial claims and North Korea continues its illegal weapons program — while each is strengthening ties with Russia, which is waging war in Ukraine.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and their Japanese counterparts Minoru Kihara and Yoko Kamikawa announced the plan in a joint statement after a meeting in Tokyo, where they also described China’s “political, economic and military coercion” as the “greatest strategic challenge” in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

The move is likely to anger Beijing, which has been warily watching the United States strengthen ties with its regional allies in a part of the world where observers say China seeks to be the dominant power — and where the United States is accused of fostering a Cold War-style bloc mentality.

Under the new plan, U.S. Forces Japan will be “reconfigured” as a joint force headquarters under the commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command “to facilitate deeper interoperability and cooperation in joint and bilateral operations in peacetime and during contingency,” according to the statement.

In April, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met. He pledged during a summit in Washington “To modernize” their respective command and control frameworks “to enhance deterrence and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of pressing regional security challenges.”

A senior U.S. defense official said ahead of Sunday’s announcement that implementation details would be determined in working groups led by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, adding that there was no intention to integrate Japanese forces into U.S. command.

Headquartered at Yokota Air Base, US Forces Japan (USFJ) consists of approximately 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan under the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.

“We view this as a historic announcement, among the most significant improvements in our military relationship in 70 years,” the official said. “The bottom line is that this represents a transformational change.”

“When this transformation is complete, U.S. forces abroad will have a direct leadership role in planning and commanding U.S. forces in times of peace and potential crises, and they will do so alongside Japanese forces as never before.”

The expected restructuring comes as Japan shifts Defense positionRussia is seeking to bolster its military power, moving away from the pacifist constitution imposed on it by the United States after World War II, with a plan to boost defense spending to about 2% of GDP by 2027 and acquire counter-strike capabilities.

These changes have reinforced Japan’s centrality to Washington’s regional security strategy and pushed it toward greater coordination with allies and partners amid rising regional tensions—and as it increasingly sees security in Europe and Asia as intertwined in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

China was repeatedly mentioned in strong language in the joint statement, with the ministers outlining shared concerns including what they called Beijing’s “intensified attempts to unilaterally change the status quo” in the East China Sea, its “threatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea,” and its “support for Russia’s defense industrial base.”

It was China asserting her claims aggressively In the disputed waters of the South China Sea and maintain Extended presence Near Japanese-controlled islands claimed by Beijing in the East China Sea. Western leaders have accused Beijing of “enabling” Moscow’s war in Ukraine by Providing dual-use goodswhich Beijing denies.

The ministers also said that “the period of political transition in Taiwan should not be used as a pretext for provocative actions across the Taiwan Strait,” a statement that followed. Chinese military exercises The self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing is being encircled just days after Taiwan’s new president was sworn in in May.

In the statement, they also condemned North Korea’s missile tests and nuclear weapons programs, and denounced Deepening cooperation between Russia and North Koreaincluding “Russia’s purchase of ballistic missiles and other materials from North Korea” for use in Ukraine.

The meeting follows a trilateral meeting earlier Sunday between the defense chiefs of the United States, Japan and South Korea, the first of its kind in 15 years — and another sign of enhanced coordination among America’s regional allies.

This came after about a year had passed. Historic summit The growing trilateral coordination between the United States, Japan and South Korea represents a shift in regional relations, as Seoul and Tokyo — both longtime U.S. allies — are seen as putting aside historical animosity and mistrust to better address common security threats.

On Sunday, the three defense chiefs pledged to enhance cooperation to deter “nuclear and missile threats” from North Korea and formally signed a trilateral agreement that affirms “the enduring nature of the new era of trilateral cooperation,” according to a joint statement.

This would “establish” trilateral security cooperation between their countries’ defence authorities, including political consultations at senior official level, information exchange, trilateral exercises, and defence exchange cooperation.