US, Japan agree to strengthen alliance amid security concerns in the Indo-Pacific

Asia-Pacific, News, US December 12, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi agreed to strengthen the deterrence and joint capabilities of their alliance in response to China’s increasingly assertive stance in the Indo-Pacific region and North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Hayashi held talks on the sidelines of a two-day meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) on December 11, in Liverpool, England.

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, both sides emphasized the need to cooperate with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other like-minded countries such as Australia and India.

An official who briefed the media after a closed-door meeting said: “The ministers, in light of the increasingly severe security environment in the region, agreed it is indispensable to boost the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance.”

Blinken and Hayashi agreed to hold the next round of the 2+2 security dialogue between the U.S. and Japan’s foreign and defense ministers at an early date, the ministry statement added.

According to a Japanese official, Hayashi and Blinken reiterated their strong opposition to China’s moves to challenge the status quo in the East and South China Seas and affirmed the importance of “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait.

The ministry statement said that both officials also discussed North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, and highlighted that the trilateral cooperation between the U.S., Japan, and South Korea is essential to regional stability.

According to the U.S. Department of State, Secretary Blinken also “conveyed the value” of the trilateral cooperation “for maintaining a free, open, interconnected, prosperous, resilient, and secure Indo-Pacific region.”

Both officials also confirmed that the two governments will soon arrange for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to the United States and discuss the details of the meeting between the leaders of the U.S. and Japan.

Earlier on December 6, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that he aims to strengthen Japan’s defense posture by considering various options including the ability to strike enemy bases.

The U.S. last week announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and Britain, Canada, and Australia said they will follow the suit. Although Japan has not stated its position, according to the government sources, Tokyo is considering not to send its Cabinet ministers to the upcoming global event.

According to sources, during the meeting, Blinken and Hayashi did not discuss the diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics 2022.

On the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meeting, Blinken also briefly met with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and stated that the bilateral ties between both countries have improved significantly.

Secretary Blinken said, “Really, really remarkable things between Australia and the United States, from the Quad Leaders’ Summit, to AUKUS, to our 2+2, to the extremely important concentration and coordination on a whole series of issues.”