Talks start with U.S. on new defense plan: Greater SDF role sought as China grows more assertive
Officials from Japan and the United States involved in defense and foreign affairs began full-fledged consultations over revising bilateral guidelines on defense cooperation at working-level talks Thursday in Tokyo.
One focus of the revisions is likely to be how to beef up cooperation between the security allies in monitoring and surveillance activities as China moves to increase its maritime presence in the region.
Kurt Campbell, assistant U.S. secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, expressed hope for a greater role to be played by the Self-Defense Forces, telling reporters in Tokyo that the United States is interested in “concrete areas where the United States and Japan can work more effectively together.”
Citing freedom of navigation as one such area, he expressed confidence in working together toward a goal that will be welcome in the “broader region as a whole.”
The efforts to revise the guidelines are expected to be made alongside discussions on enabling Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense, which is banned under the government’s current interpretation of the Constitution but being sought by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan and the United States also hope to deepen their alliance in areas that are not confined to those surrounding Japan, such as U.N. peacekeeping operations in various parts of the world, antipiracy missions and fighting cyberterrorism.
The Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines were first drawn up in 1978 at the height of the Cold War with a Soviet invasion in mind. The current bilateral guidelines, compiled in 1997, mainly focus on emergencies on the Korean Peninsula.
In the latest consultations, the participants are expected to focus on strengthening cooperation in intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance activities under normal circumstances, and to enhance deterrence.
The efforts reflect a response to China’s growing assertiveness around the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and North Korea’s rocket launches, which are suspected of being covers for testing ballistic missile technology.
A senior Defense Ministry official said the consultations would delve into the possible expansion of roles played by the SDF. The revisions are expected to take a year or two to finish, according to sources.
Kyodo Press