US applauds Japan move to increase defense spending

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington applauded Japan’s decision to increase its defense spending. Blinken’s comments come ahead of President Joe Biden’s upcoming meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Speaking at the press conference on Wednesday in Washington along with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Japanese counterparts, Blinken said the US applauds Tokyo’s decision to double its defense spending. Blinken also said that Washington was also set to sign an agreement with Tokyo this week regarding cooperation in space.

Japan and the US also agreed to increase security cooperation amidst shared concerns about China. The ministers issued a joint statement after their meeting, saying that the two countries “provided a vision of a modernized Alliance posture to prevail in a new era of strategic competition.”

“We agree that the PRC is the greatest shared strategic challenge that we and our allies and partners face,” said Blinken, referring to the initials of China’s formal name, the People’s Republic of China.

Austin also unveiled the plans to introduce a Marine Littoral Regiment in Japan, which would bring significant capabilities such as anti-ship missiles. The statement also said that due to a “severely contested environment,” the forward posture of US forces in Japan must be upgraded to position “more versatile, resilient, and mobile forces with increased intelligence, surveillance anti-ship, and transportation capabilities.”

Austin will also be meeting separately with his Japanese counterpart Yazukasu Hamada on Thursday at the Pentagon ahead of Biden’s meeting with Kishida on Friday.

Kishida and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed a defense pact in London on Wednesday during Kishida’s visit, allowing the two countries to deploy their forces to each other in an effort to strengthen security ties between Japan and the United Kingdom. Tokyo and London agreed in principle on the reciprocal access defense agreement back in May, a month after the two countries partnered with Italy on the development of a new fighter jet program.

The visit and agreement also make up part of the UK’s Indo-Pacific strategy in its foreign policy to build security and trade ties in the region, with the two countries naming China as a challenge in the region.