The United States has announced plans to restructure its military command in Japan to enhance defense collaboration between the two countries, which face what they describe as the greatest strategic challenge posed by China. “The U.S. will upgrade U.S. Forces Japan to a joint support headquarters with expanded missions and operational responsibilities,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to reporters following the so-called “2+2” negotiations between the defense and foreign ministers of the two nations in Tokyo. This will mark the most significant change to U.S. Forces Japan since its establishment and one of the strongest enhancements to military ties with Japan in 70 years, Austin added.
The United States currently has approximately 54,000 military personnel in Japan, who report to Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) located about 6,500 kilometers away in Hawaii. The restructuring will provide U.S. Forces Japan greater capacity while continuing to report to INDOPACOM.
The change comes after Russia has declared its commitment to strengthening military ties with North Korea. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea last month, as Moscow seeks to improve relations with Pyongyang amid its declining relations with the West. Additionally, Moscow has increased its cooperation with Beijing following its invasion of Ukraine.
Washington and Tokyo have expressed concern over what they call “an evolving security environment,” as China expands its nuclear arsenal. Both nations have also pledged to increase the production of weaponry, such as air-to-air missile systems. In a joint statement released after the negotiations, the ministers stated that China’s foreign policy “seeks to reshape the international order to its own advantage at the expense of others” and that “such behavior is a grave concern for the alliance and the international community, representing the greatest strategic challenge in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.”
The statement criticized China’s “provocative” maritime actions, joint military exercises with Russia, and the rapid expansion of its nuclear weapon arsenal. Austin noted in his opening remarks that China “is engaging in coercive behavior and attempting to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas, around Taiwan, and throughout the region,” adding that North Korea’s nuclear program and deepening cooperation with Russia “threaten regional and global security.”
However, the Secretary emphasized that the upgrade to the command was not based on a threat from China, but rather reflected the allies’ desire to work more closely and effectively together. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the news agency Reuters.
For the first time, the ministers also discussed “extended deterrence,” a term used to describe the U.S. commitment to using its nuclear forces to deter attacks on allies. “We stand at a critical juncture. To thoroughly defend the existing international order, we must continuously strengthen our alliance and improve deterrence – the power,” said Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa to reporters at the beginning of the negotiations.
Craig Mark, a professor of international relations at Kyoritsu Women’s University in Japan, pointed out that Japan’s concerns are warranted. “From a variety of perspectives, Japan feels it faces a more threatened environment, which explains today’s meeting and security agreement aimed at strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance.”
Motivated by China’s increasing military power and regular missile tests from nuclear-armed North Korea, Japan has undergone a dramatic shift in recent years from decades of post-war pacifism. In 2022, the country presented a plan to double defense spending to 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP). The alliances have also expressed deep concern over the growing cooperation between Russia and China, as well as Moscow’s procurement of ballistic missiles from North Korea to support its war in Ukraine, alongside discussions regarding the possibility that Moscow might transfer weapons of mass destruction or missile-related technology to Pyongyang.