The United States is set to overhaul its military presence in Japan as part of a broader effort to enhance defense cooperation between the two nations, according to announcements made by Washington and Tokyo on Sunday.
This major initiative aims to modernize their alliance in response to growing security threats across Asia.
The update comes at a time when both Japan and the US are closely monitoring China’s increasingly assertive stance on disputed territories and North Korea’s ongoing illegal weapons program, as well as the tightening of relations between China and Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and their Japanese counterparts Minoru Kihara and Yoko Kamikawa revealed the plan in a joint statement following their meeting in Tokyo.
They highlighted China’s “political, economic, and military coercion” as the “greatest strategic challenge” in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
The new plan is expected to provoke a reaction from Beijing, which has been closely observing the strengthening of US ties with regional allies. Observers suggest that China aims to dominate the region and has accused the US of promoting a Cold War-style bloc mentality.
Under the new arrangement, US forces in Japan will be “reconstituted” into a joint force headquarters that will report to the Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command. This change is intended to enhance interoperability and cooperation during both peacetime and in emergency situations.
In a press conference following the meeting, Austin described the decision to “modernize” the alliance’s command and control structure as an “historic decision.”
He noted that this will represent the most significant change to US Forces Japan since its establishment and one of the strongest improvements in US-Japan military relations in 70 years.
Austin emphasized that the upgrades to US Forces Japan, including expanded missions and operational responsibilities, along with Japan’s new Joint Operations Command, are designed to bolster their combined ability to deter and respond to coercive actions in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
This announcement follows an April summit in Washington between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, where both leaders committed to enhancing their command-and-control framework to strengthen deterrence and support a free and open Indo-Pacific in response to regional security challenges.
The specifics of the implementation will be worked out by US Indo-Pacific Command, according to a senior US defense official. It was noted that there are no plans to integrate Japanese forces into US commands.
US Forces Japan (USFJ), headquartered at Yokota Air Base, comprises approximately 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan under a 1960 mutual cooperation and security treaty.
Japan and US Agree to Military Cooperation (Photo: Ting Shen)
The reconfiguration aligns with Japan’s shift away from its pacifist post-WWII constitution. Japan plans to increase its defense spending to around 2% of its GDP by 2027 and develop counterstrike capabilities.
These moves underscore Japan’s growing importance in Washington’s regional security strategy and its push for enhanced coordination with allies amidst rising regional tensions and the interlinked security concerns in Europe and Asia following the Ukraine war.
This development comes ahead of the US presidential election, which has attracted international attention, particularly as Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump has questioned the cost of US alliances.
Blinken assured that the long-standing alliance with Japan is “stronger than it’s ever been” and will be “sustained irrespective of the outcome of elections in either of our countries,” emphasizing that the alliance is in the interest of both nations and beyond.
The joint statement highlighted China’s actions, including its “intensifying attempts to unilaterally change the status quo” in the East China Sea, “threatening and provocative activities” in the South China Sea, and its “support for Russia’s defense industrial base.”
China’s aggressive posture in the contested South China Sea and its extended presence near Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea, as well as accusations of aiding Russia’s war in Ukraine, were noted.
The ministers also addressed Taiwan, stating that its “political transition period should not be used as a pretext for provocative actions across the Taiwan Strait,” in response to recent Chinese military drills encircling Taiwan following the swearing-in of a new president.
When questioned about the relationship between the new command structure and concerns about China, Austin clarified that the decision to enhance the command was driven by the desire for closer cooperation and effectiveness, not specifically by the threat from China.
The statement also condemned North Korea’s missile testing and nuclear weapons programs and criticized the growing Russia-North Korea cooperation, including Russia’s procurement of ballistic missiles from North Korea for use in Ukraine.
This announcement follows a trilateral meeting earlier on Sunday in Tokyo involving defense chiefs from the United States, Japan, and South Korea. This first-of-its-kind meeting in Tokyo further signifies the strengthening regional coordination among US allies.
It comes nearly a year after a landmark summit at Camp David hosted by Biden. The enhanced trilateral cooperation between the US, Japan, and South Korea marks a significant shift in regional relations, as Seoul and Tokyo work to overcome historical animosities and better address shared security threats.
The defense chiefs agreed to bolster cooperation to deter “nuclear and missile threats” from North Korea and formalized a trilateral agreement to reinforce “the unwavering nature of the new era of trilateral cooperation.”
This agreement will “institutionalize” security cooperation among their defense authorities, including senior-level policy consultations, information sharing, trilateral exercises, and defense exchange cooperation.
