The American and Japanese flags fly together outside the White House in Washington, April 27, 2015.
16:31 JST, April 5, 2024
Washington, April 4 (Jiji Press) – A group of American bipartisan experts on US-Japan relations released a report Thursday calling for an integrated alliance between the two countries in response to the increasingly serious international environment.
Specifically, the group proposed that a permanent office be established to help coordinate the operations of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. Armed Forces and strengthen cooperation between their commands, in line with Tokyo’s establishment of a joint operations command that will centrally manage the controls air, ground and air power. and maritime SDFs by the end of fiscal year 2024.
The group, led by former US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Harvard University professor emeritus Joseph Nye, said in the report that the two countries “today face an international environment that is more fragmented and divided than at any time since the end of the world war. WWII.”
It noted closer ties between China, Russia and North Korea while expressing concern about the isolationist trend in Washington, citing the possibility of former US President Donald Trump regaining power.
“Unlike many Western democracies, Japan has avoided the worst impulses of populism and isolationism,” the report said. “Its role in supporting a free and open international order, based on the rule of law, is therefore more important than ever.”
The report called for support for Taiwan as the island faces increasing military and economic coercion from China. It urged Tokyo’s participation in regular talks between the U.S. and Taiwanese governments and suggested considering ways to help Taiwan strengthen critical infrastructure including communications, energy and transportation.
On economic security, the group stressed the importance of cooperation among the Group of Seven major powers, including Japan and the United States, to combat disruptions in steel and other markets caused by China’s overcapacity.
“As a first step, the United States, Japan, Europe and South Korea should initiate a dialogue on coordinated responses to overcapacity in the crucial electric vehicle sector, where China’s industry has quickly become a global leader,” the report said.
It also proposed a new bilateral dialogue mechanism to facilitate coordination of industrial policies and export controls.
It is the sixth Armitage-Nye report. The first report in 2000 proposed that Japan grant itself the right to practice collective self-defense.
