By: Isabella Liu

On Sunday, July 28th 2024, the U.S and Japanese Defense and Diplomatic Officials announced in Tokyo, Japan that they would take concrete steps in modernizing the command of their respective armed forces because of the growing threat from China in the region. These steps include establishing a joint force headquarters in the Indo-Pacific following an American Commander’s request and increasing co-production of air defense interceptor missiles.

The meeting took place with the U.S Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken; and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa with Defense Minister Minoru Kihara. This is commonly called a 2+2 dialogue. Some topics that were discussed were China, its allies, and the headquarters. China was a growing threat to Japan because of the East China Sea, which both Japan and China clamed part of. China has been making aggressive moves in East Asia such as using military and economic pressure to bully its neighbors, advance unlawful maritime claims, threaten maritime shipping lanes, and destabilize territory along the periphery of the People’s Republic of China. Both U.S. and Japan opposed this.

Furthermore, the U.S. and Japan have struck a deal to manufacture more patriot missiles for Ukraine between for the conflict Ukraine and Russia. Before this, there was a meeting with Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April that also discussed military cooperation. In January, Japan agreed to purchase 400 Tomahawk missiles at the cost of $1.7 billion.

Typically, 2+2 meetings like this occur regularly, but this one required extra importance because President Biden dropped out of and the incoming president of America may have different opinions about diplomatic relations with Japan. Vice President Kamala Harris would most likely follow Biden’s approach if she won the elections, since she is part of his administration. However, former President Trump views alliances such as these to be costly and not to America’s benefit.

The U.S. will have a direct leadership role in planning and leading U.S. forces in both peacetime and in potential crises and that will give them an opportunity to work more closely together to ensure greater peace and stability.