The Japanese government yesterday said that it is committed to bolstering its military alliance with Washington, after reports said the Pentagon was considering scrapping a plan to expand US Forces Japan.
The US has about 54,000 military personnel in Japan who currently report back to Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, but the two nations are planning to upgrade this command structure with a new Japan-based headquarters under an agreement made last year between then-US president Joe Biden and then-Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida.
The move is meant to make US and Japanese forces more nimble in response to threats such as a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Photo: Kyodo News via AP
US networks CNN and NBC News this week reported that US President Donald Trump’s administration could put the brakes on those plans as part of a sweeping government cost-cutting drive.
The reports, which have not been confirmed by Washington, cited a briefing document and a US defense official.
They said a move to halt a planned expansion of US Forces Japan would save about US$1.1 billion, but also warned it could create political risk for the US in Japan, while reducing the scope of US command and control in the Asia-Pacific region.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi yesterday said that there is “no change” to the nations’ agreement to enhance their deterrence capabilities under the US-Japan alliance.
“We want to continue the close discussions between Japan and the United States ... to further strengthen the interoperability and responsiveness” of the two militaries, Hayashi told reporters.
He did not comment directly on whether the US had explained the reported plans to Japan.
Japan is in the process of increasing its defense spending to the NATO standard of about 2 percent of GDP.
Now the nation faces a delicate diplomatic dance as Trump presses its allies to take more responsibility, fiscally and otherwise, for their defense.
Japan relies on the US military to defend itself, but its presence is a delicate subject in the nation.
The Japanese public has voiced anger over crimes and accidents, particularly concerning sexual violence in Okinawa, where most of the US troops are based.
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