Hegseth calls Japan indispensable in the face of Chinese aggression
[March 31, 2025]
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Japan on Sunday
an "indispensable partner" in deterring growing Chinese assertiveness in
the region and announced upgrading the U.S. military command in Japan to
a new "war-fighting headquarters."
Hegseth, who is on his first Asia trip with Japan as his second stop,
also stressed the need for both countries to do more to accelerate the
strengthening of their military capability as the region faces China’s
assertive military actions and a possible Taiwan emergency.
“Japan is our indispensable partner in deterring Communist Chinese
military aggression,” Hegseth said at the beginning of his talks with
Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in Tokyo. "The US is moving fast,
as you know, to reestablish deterrence in this region and around the
world."
His comments come as an assurance at a time when Japan has been worried
about how U.S. engagement in the region may change under President
Donald Trump's “America First” policy, Japanese defense officials said,
speaking on condition of anonymity, citing protocol. Trump has also
threatened to impose trade tariffs on Japan, a key U.S. ally, sparking
more concern.
The two sides agreed to accelerate plans to jointly develop and produce
missiles such as Advanced Medium-Range Air to Air Missiles, or MRAAM,
and consider producing SM-6 surface-to-air missiles, to help ease a
shortage of munitions, Nakatani said. The ministers also agreed to speed
up the process involving the maintenance of U.S. warships and warplanes
in Japan to strengthen and complement Japanese and U.S. defense
industries.

Japan and the U.S. decided in July to upgrade the command and control of
the Japanese military as well as U.S. forces in the East Asian country,
under the Biden administration, a major structural change aimed at
bolstering joint operational and response capabilities. Japan is home to
more than 50,000 U.S. troops.
Tokyo last week launched the Japan Joint Operations Command, or JJOC,
whose mission is to coordinate Japanese Ground, Maritime and Air
Self-Defense Forces, in a significant action to further strengthen
capabilities to respond to contingencies and better cooperate with the
U.S.

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Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, left, and U.S. Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth review an honor guard during a welcome
ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo Sunday, March 30, 2025.
(Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)

Hegseth announced Sunday the upgrading of its current command, U.S.
Forces Japan, by placing a unified operational commander to function
as a joint force headquarters to liaise with its Japanese
counterpart to serve as “war-fighting headquarters” to bolster speed
and capability of their troops’ joint operations.
The Pentagon chief said the reorganization of U.S. troops is a step
to better prepare for a possible conflict. America and Japan both
work for peace, but “we must be prepared,” he said.
The Japanese defense officials say they are not expecting a
significant change in their responsibilities or an increase in U.S.
troops in Japan.
Hegseth and Nakatani told a joint news conference that they have
also agreed on the need to beef up Japan’s defense posture on the
Southwestern islands, which are in critical locations along the
disputed areas in the East China Sea and near Taiwan to further step
up deterrence against China.
He stressed the need to have “sustaining, robust, ready and credible
deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific, including across the Taiwan Strait,
as “Japan would be on the frontlines of any contingency we might
face in the western Pacific.”
China claims Taiwan as its own territory. The U.S. is obligated
under a 1979 law to provide Taiwan with sufficient military hardware
and technology to deter invasion, and its arm sales to Taiwan have
always drawn strong opposition from Beijing.
On Saturday, he joined the U.S.-Japan joint memorial to honor the
war dead in the Battle of Iwo Jima as they marked the 80th
anniversary of the end of one of the fiercest battles of World War
II, praising the strong alliance between the former enemies.
Before landing in Japan, Hegseth stopped in the Philippines where he
also ensured Trump’s commitment to step up ties with the Southeast
Asian country that faces maritime disputes with Beijing.
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