New Defense Minister Gen Nakatani has held his first talks with his U.S. counterpart, with the two agreeing to continue expanding their bilateral presence in Japan＊s far-flung Nansei Islands near Taiwan.
Nakatani and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke over the phone late Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said in a statement, with efforts to modernize the alliance＊s command-and-control framework another focus of the talks.
The ministers said they could continue ※to work more closely than ever before,§ including with regional partners ※in light of growing attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion in the Indo-Pacific region,§ the statement said.
※We decided to form a scrum and work together,§ said Nakatani, a rugby fan, using a metaphor from the sport to describe the defense chiefs＊ approach going forward.
The new defense minister said the two sides did not broach the subject of an Asian version of NATO, nor revisions to the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement 〞 two controversial proposals put forward by his boss, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
In a separate statement released by the Pentagon, Austin expressed his hopes that the pair would have a chance to meet in person soon.
In July, the countries＊ defense chiefs and top diplomats agreed to one of the biggest upgrades to the U.S.-Japan alliance since its inception, with Washington set to revamp its command in Japan, giving it a ※direct leadership role§ over American forces in operational planning in both peacetime and in potential crises.
That shift will be accompanied by the Self-Defense Forces＊ own plan to create a new permanent joint headquarters, which is due to be established by the end of March.
The allies are looking to counter what they say is an increasingly assertive China 〞 especially when it comes to Beijing＊s military moves around democratic Taiwan.
On Tuesday, former Prime Minister Taro Aso stirred controversy by describing the island as an important ※country§ for Japan, local media reported. Tokyo, which does not have diplomatic relations with Taipei, has assiduously avoided describing the self-ruled island as a sovereign nation for fear of angering Beijing.
China views Taiwan as its ※core of core issues§ and regards the island as a renegade province that must be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
A war over Taiwan, likely involving the United States and China, would run the risk of also dragging in Japan thanks to proximity and Tokyo＊s alliance with Washington. Japan＊s boosted defense budgets have been largely centered around countering this and what it says is a growing Chinese military threat elsewhere.
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