Japan , and its security alliance,  , the United States, singled out , China , as” the greatest geopolitical problem in the Indo-Pacific area and beyond” on , July 28, as they unveiled their “most important” defence overhaul to foster better connectivity.
This came as Japanese Foreign Minister , Yoko Kamikawa , and Defence Minister , Minoru Kihara , met their individual American rivals, Mr , Antony Blinken , and Mr , Lloyd Austin, in , Tokyo , for so-called” two-plus-two” deals.
The quartet, in a joint statement, accused , China , of seeking to “reshape the global order for its own profit at the cost of people”, as they criticised its” menacing and provocative” maritime activities and pointed to participation between , China,  , North Korea , and , Russia.
” The PRC ( People’s Republic of China ) employs political, economic and military force of places, organizations and civil society, as well as facilitates its military reform through the escape of systems to achieve these goals”, they said.
In response to what the ministers described as” the profound level of global threats”,  , Washington , said it will revamp its military command structure in , Japan , and strengthen the production of American weapons in , Japan.
The allies vowed to grow bilateral presence on , Japan ‘s , Nansei , chain of islands, the westernmost of which lies just 110km from , Taiwan, including through joint exercises and shared use of facilities.
They also held their first talks on “extended deterrence”, referring to US commitment to use nuclear arms to protect its allies, as they looked at ways to reinforce bilateral cooperation on “arms control, risk reduction and nonproliferation”.
Nuclear weapons are a sensitive topic in , Japan, which is the only country to have suffered atomic bombings.  , Mr Austin , said that the full range of capabilities, including nuclear, would extend over the Senkaku islets administered by , Japan , and disputed by , China, which calls them Diaoyu.
The US-Japan relationship forms the bedrock of what is a clear shift by the US in its traditional “hub-and-spoke” centralised approach towards defence, in favour of a criss-cross of “mini-laterals”, or smaller and more flexible groupings.
Mr Kihara , and , Mr Austin , had, earlier on , July 28, also met South Korean counterpart , Shin Won-sik , in , Tokyo, during what was the first South Korean defence ministerial visit to the Japanese capital in 15 years.
They inked a trilateral security pact to “institutionalise” policy consultations, information sharing and joint exercises and make their partnership “unshakable no matter how the international situation changes”,  , Mr Kihara , said.
On , July 29,  , Ms Kamikawa , and , Mr Blinken , will be joined in , Tokyo , by their counterparts from , Australia , and , India , for a Quad security meeting.
Mr Blinken , and , Mr Austin , will then travel to , Manila , for a” two-plus-two” meeting with their Philippine counterparts, coming just three weeks after , Ms Kamikawa , and , Mr Kihara ‘s , visit to , Manila, where they signed a landmark defence deal that allows both nations to hold joint military drills in each other’s territories.
Analysts noted that , Japan , plays a significant role, given its geographical proximity to potential flashpoints like , Taiwan , and the , South China Sea, as well as to the perceived threats of , China,  , North Korea , and , Russia.
Beijing , and , Pyongyang , have, whether directly or indirectly, been contributing to , Russia ‘s , aggression in , Ukraine.
Dr , Satoru Nagao, a non-resident fellow at the , Hudson Institute , think-tank, told The Straits Times that the defence upgrades unveiled on , July 28 , are “part of a long-term process” to grow security resilience, and will be crucial if multiple conflicts were to happen at the same time.
The joint statement itself recognised , Japan ‘s , role “in maintaining peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region by seamlessly responding to any situation from peacetime to contingencies”.
The US will revamp its military command in , Japan , with a new” joint force headquarters” that will facilitate deeper interoperability with , Japan ‘s , Self-Defence Forces.
Japan , hosts 54, 000 American troops, as well as hundreds of US aircraft and , Washington ‘s , only forward-deployed aircraft carrier strike group.  , Tokyo , is separately due to launch a new joint command to oversee its nearly 228, 000 personnel by , March 2025.
The idea is to ensure that the two militaries are more nimble in case of a regional conflict, given that coordination is being handled from the Indo-Pacific Command in , Hawaii, which is 6, 500km away and 19 hours behind. This current arrangement may work in peacetime, but it wo n’t work in a conflict.
Mr Austin , said the idea of basing a four-star US commander in , Tokyo , was something that the Pentagon was “looking at very closely”.
The US also aims to grow defence industrial production with , Japan, with American weapon makers stretched by conflicts in , Ukraine , and the , Middle East.
Tokyo , and , Washington , aim to “meet critical demand for advanced ( missile ) systems, address timely procurement and readiness requirements and deter aggression”, the statement said, by co-producing , Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 ( PAC-3 ) air defence missile systems. Additionally, they’ll make repairs to ships and aircraft simple.
” American stockpiles are decreasing because they’re supporting , Ukraine , and , Israel. But , China ‘s , continues to grow, given that it has only been providing parts for , Russia , to produce weapons” , , Dr Nagao , said.
He added that this was not a case of” co-development” — which aims to bolster quality — but rather” co-production”, which aims to grow quantity.
___
( c ) 2024 the Asia News Network
Distributed by , Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
