US and Japan boost security cooperation
January 12, 2023
The United States and Japan plan to boost military and security cooperation as their top national security officials held talks on Wednesday.
Weeks after unveiling plans to ramp up defense spending, Japan sent its defense and foreign ministers to Washington for talks on updating the decades old alliance.
The officials unveiled plans to strengthen the alliance to help counter threats from North Korea and China, which they called the greatest challenge in the region.
"We agree that the PRC (People's Republic of China) is the greatest shared strategic challenge that we, our allies and partners face," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a four-way news conference with the Japanese ministers, referring to the People's Republic of China.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said the United States and Japan have "a vision of a modernized alliance to acquire the posture to win in the new era of strategic competition."
Attacks from space
As China makes rapid advances in satellites, Blinken said that Washington and Tokyo agreed that attacks "to, from or within space" could invoke Article Five of their mutual defense treaty — which considers an attack on either of the two countries an attack on both.
Blinken also said the two nations tried to deepen cooperation "across all realms," including space, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
US troops presence in Okinawa
The top officials also agreed to adjust the American troop presence on the island of Okinawa.
The changes in the deployment on Okinawa will transform the 12th Marine Regiment into a smaller, more rapidly mobile unit: the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, designed to be better able and equipped to fight an adversary.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the unit would be in place by 2025 from a reorganization of an existing artillery regiment.
New runways
Prior to the meeting, Japan's Defense Ministry also announced it was ready to start constructing a pair of runways on the small southern island of Mageshima, where the two militaries are to conduct joint exercises.
Wednesday's discussions are set to be followed by a meeting on Friday between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at which they will underscore the importance of the relationship.
dh/fb (AP, AFP)