{"id":5232,"date":"2024-08-06T09:05:14","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T09:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/?p=5232"},"modified":"2024-08-06T09:05:16","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T09:05:16","slug":"us-japan-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/?p=5232","title":{"rendered":"US-Japan Ups the Ante in the Pacific"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p class=\"pvc_stats all \" data-element-id=\"5232\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 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https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/e3-278x300.jpg 278w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/e3-768x828.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/e3.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"929\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"5236\"  src=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/e4-929x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/e4-929x1024.jpg 929w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/e4-272x300.jpg 272w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/e4-768x846.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/e4.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 929px) 100vw, 929px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/theindianawaaz.com\/2024\/07\/30\/us-japan-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/\n\">https:\/\/theindianawaaz.com\/2024\/07\/30\/us-japan-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/thekashmirimages.com\/author\/asad-mirza\/?wpappninja_v=66a7cf17a85f5\n\">https:\/\/thekashmirimages.com\/author\/asad-mirza\/?wpappninja_v=66a7cf17a85f5<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/raksha-anirveda.com\/author\/asad-mirza\/\n\">https:\/\/raksha-anirveda.com\/author\/asad-mirza\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/clarionindia.net\/us-japan-alliance-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/\n\">https:\/\/clarionindia.net\/us-japan-alliance-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/thekashmirimages.com\/2024\/07\/30\/us-japan-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/\n\">https:\/\/thekashmirimages.com\/2024\/07\/30\/us-japan-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyexcelsior.com\/us-japanups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/\n\">https:\/\/www.dailyexcelsior.com\/us-japanups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/qoshe.com\/kashmir-images\/asad-mirza\/us-japan-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/175181564\">https:\/\/qoshe.com\/kashmir-images\/asad-mirza\/us-japan-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/175181564<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">US-Japan Ups the Ante in the Pacific<\/span><\/em><\/strong><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>In a sweeping step to modernise their alliance in the face of mounting security threats in Asia, particularly the South China Sea, US and Japan have announced plans to further the bilateral military cooperation.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The United States has announced that it will overhaul its military forces in Japan as the two countries move to deepen defence cooperation, Washington and Tokyo said Sunday, 28 July 2024. The announcement comes in the background of increased Chines belligerence in the South China Sea (SCS) and asserting territorial claims in the SCS, while North Korea continues its illegal weapons programme \u2013 while both strengthen ties with Russia as it wages war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new US-Jap plans were announced by the US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their Japanese counterparts Minoru Kihara and Yoko Kamikawa after a meeting in Tokyo, where they also called China\u2019s \u201cpolitical, economic, and military coercion\u201d the \u201cgreatest strategic challenge\u201d in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Undeniably, the latest American move is likely to fuel the ire of Beijing, which has watched warily as the US has bolstered ties with regional allies in a region, where observers say China seeks to be the dominant power \u2013 and where it accuses the US of fostering a Cold War-style bloc mentality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the new plan, US forces in Japan would be \u201creconstituted\u201d as a joint force headquarters reporting to the Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command to \u201cfacilitate deeper interoperability and cooperation on joint bilateral operations in peacetime and during contingencies,\u201d according to the statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a press conference following the meeting, Austin hailed the countries\u2019 move to \u201cmodernise\u201d their alliance command and control as an \u201chistoric decision.\u201d \u201cThis will be the most significant change to US Forces Japan since its creation, and one of the strongest improvements in our military ties with Japan in 70 years,\u201d Austin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He pointed both to the \u201cupgrade\u201d of US Forces in Japan with \u201cexpanded missions and operational responsibilities,\u201d and Japan\u2019s new Joint Operations Command, saying that the countries were reinforcing their \u201ccombined ability to deter and respond to coercive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Behind the scenes activities between the top officials of the two countries were on, since the April summit in Washington between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, where the two vowed to upgrade their respective command-and-control framework \u201cto strengthen deterrence and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of pressing regional security challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the US maintains that it has no plans to integrate Japanese forces into the US commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At present, US Forces Japan (USFJ), is headquarter at Yokota Air Base, and consists of approximately 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan under a 1960 mutual cooperation and security treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The expected reconfiguration comes as Japan shifts its defence posture, veering away from the pacifist constitution imposed on it by the United States in the aftermath of World War II, with a plan to boost defence spending to about 2% of its GDP by 2027 and acquire counter strike capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These moves have cemented Japan\u2019s centrality to Washington\u2019s regional security strategy and its push for increased coordination with allies and partners amid rising regional tensions \u2013 and as the US increasingly sees security in Europe and Asia as intertwined in the wake of the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tensions in the region are not just confined to the SCS, but Chinese activities in the East China Sea, Chinese support to Russia in its war against Ukraine, Russia\u2019s support to the N Korean missile programme and the issue of Taiwan\u2019s independence, all add up to the American worries for the region, and its plans for the Pacific and the Indo-Pacific, both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The latest move is being seen in the backdrop of these regional flashpoints and the American response to them, besides containing China. In diplomatic language China was repeatedly mentioned in the joint statement, as the ministers outlined shared concerns including what they described as Beijing\u2019s \u201cintensifying attempts to unilaterally change the status quo,\u201d in the East China Sea, its \u201cthreatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea,\u201d and its \u201csupport for Russia\u2019s defence industrial base.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Western leaders have accused Beijing of \u201cenabling\u201d Moscow\u2019s war in Ukraine through the provision of dual-use goods, a charge Beijing denies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, countering concerns about the new Command structure, based on any Chinese worries, Austin said, \u201cIt\u2019s based on our desire and our ability to work closer together and to be more effective.\u201d&nbsp; The ministers also said Taiwan\u2019s \u201cpolitical transition period should not be used as a pretext for provocative actions across the Taiwan Strait.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the statement, the ministers also condemned North Korea\u2019s missile testing and nuclear weapons programmes, condemning deepening Russia-North Korea cooperation, including Russia\u2019s \u201cprocurement of ballistic missiles and other materiel from North Korea\u201d for use in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before the ministerial meeting on Sunday, the Defence chiefs from the United States, Japan and South Korea, met for the first time in Tokyo, which shows another sign of the tightening coordination of regional US allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Defence Chiefs meeting was preceded by a landmark summit between the three countries held by Biden at Camp David, last year. The increased trilateral coordination between the US, Japan and South Korea shows the real concern, shared by both Seoul and Tokyo \u2013 both long-standing US allies \u2013 as working to put aside historic animosity and mistrust to better address shared security threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the reality is completely different. America\u2019s allies in Asia have no mutual obligation to defend each other, as do members of NATO. Right now USFJ is mainly an administrative headquarters for units based in the country, and to liaise with the Japanese government.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the&nbsp;<em>Financial Times<\/em>&nbsp;puts it succinctly, conventionally America has seen its role as the \u201cspear\u201d that would take on Chinese forces, whereas the Japanese would act as the \u201cshield\u201d to defend its territory and American bases. Whether such a distinction can be maintained in an all-out war over Taiwan, or any Chinese attack against any regional country, or any big assault is doubtful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014\u2014&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"pvc_stats all \" data-element-id=\"5232\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> &nbsp;118&nbsp;total views<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;118&nbsp;total views https:\/\/theindianawaaz.com\/2024\/07\/30\/us-japan-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/ https:\/\/thekashmirimages.com\/author\/asad-mirza\/?wpappninja_v=66a7cf17a85f5 https:\/\/raksha-anirveda.com\/author\/asad-mirza\/ https:\/\/clarionindia.net\/us-japan-alliance-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/ https:\/\/thekashmirimages.com\/2024\/07\/30\/us-japan-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/ https:\/\/www.dailyexcelsior.com\/us-japanups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/ https:\/\/qoshe.com\/kashmir-images\/asad-mirza\/us-japan-ups-the-ante-in-the-pacific\/175181564 US-Japan Ups the Ante in the Pacific In a sweeping step to modernise their alliance in the face of mounting security threats in Asia, particularly the South China Sea, US and Japan have announced plans to further the bilateral military cooperation. The United States has announced [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[83],"tags":[146,144,147,158,157,139,159,156,155],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5232"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5232"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5237,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5232\/revisions\/5237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}