TOKYO — Japanese and U.S. defense chiefs and top diplomats are meeting in Tokyo on Sunday for talks aimed at further strengthening their military cooperation, including by improving command and control of U.S. forces and boosting U.S. missile production in Japan, amid a increasing threat from China.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will join their Japanese counterparts Yoko Kamikawa and Minoru Kihara at the Japan-US Security Consultative Committee, known as the “2+2” security talks, to reaffirm their alliance after President Joe Biden ‘s withdrawal from the presidential race in November.
For the first time, the ministers will hold separate talks to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to “extended deterrence,” which includes nuclear weapons. It’s a shift from Japan’s previous reluctance to openly discuss the sensitive issue in the world’s only country to have suffered nuclear attacks. It’s all amid growing nuclear threats from Russia and China.
The ministers are expected to discuss plans to improve command and control structures for U.S. forces in Japan by appointing senior officers with command authority, creating a U.S. counterpart to the joint Japan command currently scheduled for March.
Japan is home to more than 50,000 U.S. troops, but a U.S. Forces Japan commander, headquartered in Yokota on the western outskirts of Tokyo and charged with managing its bases, has no command authority. Instead, that authority comes from the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii. The plan to upgrade the USFJ’s command and control capabilities is designed to facilitate joint exercises and operations, officials say.
Ahead of the 2+2 talks, Kihara was scheduled to meet South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik in their first bilateral talks with Japan’s defense minister in 15 years. Austin will join them later for three-way talks.
Japan has accelerated its military buildup and stepped up joint operations with the US and South Korea, while also trying to strengthen its largely domestic defense industry.
Japan has significantly relaxed its arms export restrictions and in December it complied with a US request for PAC-3 surface-to-air missiles produced in Japan under a US license, to replenish US stockpiles that had been depleted due to support for Ukraine.
The ministers are also expected to discuss Japan’s expansion of production of PAC-3 interceptors for export to the United States.
Japan, US accelerate cooperation in arms industry after a Agreement in April between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Biden. Both sides have established working groups for joint production of missiles and for the maintenance and repair of US naval ships and air force aircraft in the region.
While Japan’s role is primarily intended to support U.S. arms shipments and maintain credible deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, Japanese officials say it will help strengthen Japan’s defense industry.