US and Japan Unveil Defense Overhaul, Citing China as Greatest Strategic Challenge

The United States and Japan have announced their most significant defense overhaul in years, singling out China as "the greatest strategic challenge in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond." The move comes as Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara met their American counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in Tokyo for the so-called "two-plus-two" talks.

In a joint statement, the quartet accused China of seeking to "reshape the international order for its own benefit at the expense of others" and criticized its "threatening and provocative" maritime actions. They also pointed to cooperation between China, North Korea, and Russia, saying Beijing “employs political, economic, and military coercion of countries, companies, and civil society.”

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, including through joint exercises and shared use of facilities.

The joint statement also mentioned the first talks on "extended deterrence," referring to the US commitment to use nuclear arms to protect its allies. The US said its full range of capabilities, including nuclear, would extend over the Senkaku islets administered by Japan and disputed by China.

The US-Japan relationship forms the bedrock of a clear shift by the US in its traditional "hub-and-spoke" centralized approach towards defense, in favor of a criss-cross of "mini-laterals," or smaller and more flexible groupings.

Earlier, Mr. Kihara and Mr. Austin met South Korean counterpart Shin Won-sik in Tokyo, inking a trilateral security pact to "institutionalize" policy consultations, information sharing, and joint exercises. 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.

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. Dr. Satoru Nagao, a non-resident fellow at the Hudson Institute think-tank, said the defense upgrades unveiled on July 28 are "part of a long-term process" to grow security resilience.