US and Japan to revamp joint military operations to counter China and North Korea

American and Japanese defence ministers also reaffirm commitment to fast-track Tokyo’s acquisition of Tomahawk missiles

Reading Time:3 minutes

The revamp of the US military command structure in Japan is one of the main results of the “2+2” security talks attended by US and Japanese defence and diplomatic officials in Tokyo on Sunday. Photo: via Reuters

Published: 9:30pm, 28 Jul 2024Updated: 9:32pm, 28 Jul 2024

The United States and Japan said they will revamp the US military command structure in Japan to improve joint military operations and expand co-production of air defence missiles, to counter China’s increasing assertiveness and the North Korean nuclear threat.

The revamp is one of the main results of the “2+2” security talks attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and their Japanese counterparts, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defence Minister Minoru Kihara.

In a joint statement issued after the talks on Sunday, the two countries said the US “intends to reconstitute US Forces Japan (USFJ) as a joint force headquarters reporting to the Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command”, to facilitate interoperability and cooperation on joint operations “in peacetime and during contingencies”.

The reconstituted USFJ is intended to serve as an important counterpart to the Japanese Self-Defence Forces’ joint operation headquarters, which will be launched by March to unify the command of Japan’s ground, maritime and air services, it said.

But the new joint command will be headed by a three-star general, not a four-star general as Japan had requested, according to a Reuters report quoting US official sources.