By: Nathan Chen

The United States and Japan announced plans to increase their military cooperation to face the rising Chinese aggression. They will establish a joint force headquarters under U.S. command and increase the production of air defense missiles. “The U.S. will have a direct leadership role in planning and leading U.S. forces in both peacetime and potential crises,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said.

President Biden also chose not to run for re-election. This act raised questions about the future of U.S. foreign policy. The next president will have to do much work to remake America’s alliances in Asia.
Japanese and South Korean officials view them as their best insurance against possible conflicts with China or North Korea. Japan has agreed to buy 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States for $1.7 billion, and more military cooperation was announced last month during Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s state visit to the United States.

Austin and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will stop in the Philippines for yet another discussion about recent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships. The U.S. needs to repeat its commitment to its mutual defense treaty with the Philippines.

A more formidable U.S. and Japan alliance would work for the sustenance of peace and stability amidst heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

Sources:
U.S. and Japan Strengthen Military Ties – The New York Times (nytimes.com)