US to revamp military forces in Japan in ‘historic’ move as regional tensions mount

CNN —

The United States will overhaul its military forces in Japan as the two countries move to deepen defense cooperation, Washington and Tokyo said Sunday, in a sweeping step to modernize their alliance in the face of mounting security threats in Asia.

The announcement comes as Japan and the US warily eye a region where China is seen as increasingly aggressive in asserting its disputed territorial claims and North Korea continues its illegal weapons program – while both tighten ties with Russia as it wages war in Ukraine.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their Japanese counterparts Minoru Kihara and Yoko Kamikawa announced the plan in a joint statement following a meeting in Tokyo, where they also called China’s “political, economic, and military coercion” the “greatest strategic challenge” in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

The move is likely to stoke the ire of Beijing, which has watched warily as the US has bolstered ties with regional allies in a part of the world where observers say China seeks to be the dominant power – and where it’s accused the US of fostering a Cold War-style bloc mentality.

Under the new plan, US forces in Japan would be “reconstituted” as a joint force headquarters reporting to the Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command to “facilitate deeper interoperability and cooperation on joint bilateral operations in peacetime and during contingencies,” according to the statement.

In a press conference following the meeting, Austin hailed the countries’ move to “modernize” their alliance command and control as an “historic decision.”

“This will be the most significant change to US Forces Japan since its creation, and one of the strongest improvements