US-Japan Bolster Military Ties Amid Rising China Threat

Japanese and US defense and diplomatic leaders are set to hold talks in Tokyo to enhance their military collaboration. Discussions will include command and control upgrades and strengthening missile production in Japan amid growing threats from China, Russia, and ongoing global conflicts.

Japanese and US defense and diplomatic leaders will convene in Tokyo on Sunday to discuss enhancing military collaboration. The talks, aimed at upgrading U.S. command and control in Japan and ramping up American-licensed missile production, come in response to escalating threats from China.

The high-level meeting, known as the "2+2" security talks, will include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and their Japanese counterparts, Yoko Kamikawa and Minoru Kihara. This summit is a reaffirmation of the U.S.-Japan alliance following President Joe Biden's decision not to run for re-election.

In a significant move, the ministers will also address the U.S. commitment to "extended deterrence" with atomic weapons, signaling a shift in Japan's previous reluctance to engage openly on nuclear matters due to its history as the only nation to have suffered nuclear attacks.

The discussions will feature plans to elevate the command and control structures for U.S. forces in Japan by integrating higher-ranked officers with command authority. This move aims to create a U.S. counterpart for Japan's unified command, set to be inaugurated in March next year.

Japan hosts over 50,000 U.S. troops, but the command authority resides with the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii. Upgrading the U.S. Forces Japan's (USFJ) command capabilities is intended to facilitate smoother joint military operations and exercises.

Paving the way for the 2+2 discussions, Kihara met Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik in their first trilateral defense talks in Tokyo, resulting in a memorandum to institutionalize regular high-level dialogues and joint exercises among the three nations.

This memorandum serves as a foundation for future defense cooperation among Japan, the U.S., and South Korea, demonstrating their united front despite potential leadership changes. Kihara emphasized the unwavering nature of their trilateral relations in the face of global challenges.

Concurrent to the trilateral engagement, Kihara met Shin, marking the first visit by a South Korean defense chief to Japan in 15 years. Both leaders committed to concrete steps for deepening bilateral defense ties.

Japan is fast-tracking its military buildup, expanding joint operations with the U.S. and South Korea, and strengthening its domestic defense industry. Following U.S. requests, Japan accommodated the export of PAC-3 missile interceptors produced under American license, aiding U.S. inventory depleted by support for Ukraine.

The ministers will also focus on scaling up Japanese production of PAC-3 interceptors for U.S. export as part of an enhanced arms industry collaboration agreement made in April between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Biden. Working groups have been established for missile co-production and for servicing U.S. Navy ships and Air Force aircraft in the region.

This intensified cooperation aims not only to sustain U.S. deterrence credibility in the Indo-Pacific but also to bolster Japan's defense capabilities amid ongoing global conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

(With inputs from agencies.)