- The United States and Japan pledged to increase security cooperation.
- Biden and Kishida are anticipated to address security issues and the global economy.
- That five-year plan will double Japan’s defense spending to 2% of Gdp.
The United States and Japan pledged to increase security cooperation on Wednesday in response to shared concerns about China, and Washington strongly backed Tokyo’s significant military expansion announced last month.
The two countries “presented a vision of a modernized Alliance poised to prevail in a new era of strategic competition,” according to a joint statement issued during a meeting of their foreign and defence ministers in Washington.
“We all agree that the PRC is the largest shared strategic challenge that we, our friends, and partners face,” he added.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed intentions to establish a Marine Littoral Regiment in Japan, bringing major capabilities such as anti-ship missiles. Blinken said that the two sides also agreed to extend the terms of their common defense treaty to cover space.
The joint statement said that given “a severely contested environment,” the forward posture of U.S. forces in Japan should be upgraded “by positioning more versatile, resilient, and mobile forces with increased intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, anti-ship, and transportation capabilities.”
Biden and Kishida are anticipated to address security issues and the global economy, as well as regulation of semiconductor exports to China.
Although the total number of US troops in Japan would not change, the additional deployments could be the first of several announcements on military forces in Asia this year aimed at making Beijing think twice before starting a confrontation.
That five-year plan will double Japan’s defense spending to 2% of Gdp.
Asked about the Japanese reforms, Blinken said: “It’s very simple, we heartily welcome the new strategies.”
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