US and Japan announce ‘most significant’ upgrade to military alliance

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The US and Japan plan to modernise their military command and control structures in what President Joe Biden said was the “most significant” upgrade to their alliance since it was created decades ago.

Speaking alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a news conference on Wednesday, Biden said the allies were taking significant steps to ensure their militaries could “work together in a seamless and effective way”.

The US president added that the two countries had transformed their relationship into a “truly global partnership” over the past three years, and that the alliance now served as a “beacon to their entire world”.

Kishida is visiting Washington for a historic summit that is designed to bolster the robust US-Japan alliance as the nations become increasingly concerned about what they view as threats from China.

In a joint statement released after the press conference, the leaders said Biden had confirmed the US-Japan mutual defence treaty included nuclear capabilities and applied to the Senkaku — islands in the East China Sea that are administered by Japan but claimed by China.

Referring to recent aggressive activity by China’s coastguard towards the Philippines at the Second Thomas Shoal, a contested reef in the Spratly Islands, the leaders said they “strongly oppose any attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion”.

At the news conference, Kishida said the world faced a “historical turning point” and that the leaders had agreed to “continue to respond to challenges concerning China” and would “resolutely defend and bolster” what he described as a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Biden said the US, Japan and Australia would create an “air, missile and defence architecture” for the first time. He added the US and Japan were planning to hold a trilateral military exercise with the UK.

Kurt Campbell, deputy secretary of state, last week said the US had “done war games with the Brits to think a little bit about scenarios in the Indo-Pacific”.

The leaders said in their statement that their defence departments would look for ways to develop and produce missiles together. The said the countries would also increase intelligence sharing.

The summit in Washington will include the first state dinner for a Japanese prime minister since Shinzo Abe in 2015. On Thursday, they will meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for the first trilateral summit with the Philippines.

The upgrade of the command and control structures, first reported by the Financial Times, is designed to boost co-operation and planning for military contingencies, such as war with China over Taiwan.

The summit comes as Japan has made a dramatic shift in its security policy, driven by aggressive Chinese activity and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has served as a reminder of the threat of conflict.

Sheila Smith, a Japan expert and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said a step change had been made in how Japan deals with global issues, saying it now “wants to make a difference”.

“Tokyo no longer watches quietly from the sidelines as North Korea, China and now Russia attempt to change the status quo. Japan’s leaders now recognise the danger of inaction. Their aim is to ensure no one will discount Japan’s strength,” said Smith.

Kishida, at the press conference, said he was pressing ahead with efforts to try to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying a “meaningful relationship” between the Asian countries could be “hugely beneficial to the peace and stability of the region”.

Biden said he welcomed Kishida’s attempt to “initiate dialogue” with North Korea, and that he had “faith” in the Japanese prime minister.

Hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough have recently faded after Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister, issued a statement last month rejecting “any contact and negotiations” with Tokyo. 

US officials had said Biden and Kishida would not discuss Nippon Steel’s proposed $14.9bn acquisition of US Steel, which the president has opposed. In an unusual twist, Dave McCall, president of the United Steelworkers union, which opposes the deal, will attend the state dinner.

Asked about the deal, Kishida would only say that he hoped it would “unfold in directions that would be positive for both sides”. Biden said he would “stand by my commitment to American workers” but that he also stood by the US-Japan alliance.