US, Japan, South Korea Look to Cement Security Ties Before America Votes

The US pledged to bring the full force of its military to defend allies Japan and South Korea as it signed a deal with the two to cement gains on security cooperation before America elects its next president in November.

The agreement was reached Sunday at talks in Tokyo among the defense chiefs from the three countries. It formalized plans for regular military training, which in the past year has included drills to shoot down missiles and hunt for submarines. The US and its two Asian allies are also looking to enhance senior-level security talks and build on a deal to share real-time data on North Korea’s missile launches.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the agreement laid out “unprecedented steps for our trilateral security partnership.” The US also held separate discussions with Japan aimed at raising their decades-old military alliance to a new level by changing command and control structures to better align Japan’s Self-Defense Force with the US military. 

Concerns over North Korea’s missiles and China’s military expansion have pushed Japan, South Korea and the US closer together. The defense chiefs’ meeting in Tokyo follows a major summit hosted by President Joe Biden at Camp David about a year ago. With the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House, the three nations are working to bind the trilateral relationship so tightly that it would be hard to unravel.

Austin, who was joined by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in talks with their counterparts from Japan, told reporters there was continued concern about Chinese coercive behavior in the region. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said they also shared concerns about further strategic military cooperation between Russia and China and the possibility of military assistance from Russia to North Korea.

“We are at a critical juncture and our decisions today will determine our future,” Kamikawa said. 

The ministers shared concerns about North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, China’s nuclear build-up and Russia’s undermining of arms control, including through its military cooperation with North Korea, according to a statement released after the meeting.

As a follow on to the discussion, Japan will host a meeting Monday of foreign ministers of the so-called Quad group, which includes Australia, India and the US and is seen as a means of countering Beijing’s assertiveness. China has lambasted the Quad as a mechanism to contain its global rise.

The US and Japan talks featured their first minister-level discussions on “extended deterrence.” The term refers to Washington’s long-standing commitment to use its full military power, including nuclear weapons if necessary, to defend Japan.

Austin said at a news conference the US reaffirmed its commitment to defend Japan with a full range of capabilities, including nuclear weapons. He added the two countries committed to working together on counterstrike capabilities.

As part of its upgraded strategy for Japan and the Indo-Pacific region, the US is overhauling its military forces in Japan to boost capabilities and improve coordination with the Japanese military, which recently undertook a restructuring of its own. The command will feature a Joint Forces HQ led by a three-star general. In South Korea, US generals command local troops under a similar framework, but that won’t be the case in Japan, according to a senior defense official.

The US-Japan extended deterrence dialogue began in 2010 as a forum for government officials to discuss in detail how US military assets, including nuclear weapons, can deter threats to Japan and scenarios in which they might be used.

The US holds a similar dialogue with South Korea and last year pledged to give Seoul a greater say in how Washington deploys its nuclear umbrella.

South Korea also sent its defense minister to Japan on Sunday for the first official visit in 15 years. North Korea may be considering a nuclear test near the time the US presidential election is held to raise its profile, Defense Minister Shin Wonsik said in an interview with Bloomberg News. 

Closer military ties between North Korea and Russia amid the war in Ukraine have given fresh impetus to security cooperation among the US and its two allies. It has also spurred the warming of ties between South Korea and Japan, as they try to put aside long-standing diplomatic issues.

Overall, cooperation among the US and its two allies has reached some of the strongest levels after facing troubles during Trump’s presidency. His demands for hefty spending increases for hosting US troops caused friction with Tokyo and Seoul. 

Trump also scaled back or halted major joint training drills while he held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kim modernized his missile arsenal, advanced his new nuclear warheads and increased his stockpile of fissile material during Trump’s tenure. 

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said Tokyo will continue to enhance its security partnership with Washington regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election in November. 

“I am convinced that the Japan-US alliance will become even more significant in the future as the international community enters a new era of crisis,” Kihara said. “Unilateral changes in the status quo and attempts to do so by force bring serious challenges to the free and open international order based on the rule of law.”

With assistance from Soo-Hyang Choi and Jasmine Ng.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.