WASHINGTON--Japan and the United States pledged to cooperate further in the effective use of Japan’s counterstrike capability against enemies preparing to launch a missile attack at a security meeting here on Jan. 11. 

The two sides issued a joint statement at the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee, commonly known as the two-plus-two meeting, in which Japan pledged to substantially increase its defense budget to possess the counterstrike capability.

The statement said the two nations “decided to deepen bilateral cooperation toward the effective employment of Japan’s counterstrike capabilities in close coordination with the United States.”

The new capability was the centerpiece of the National Security Strategy and two other documents approved in December by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet.

In attendance at the two-plus-two meeting were Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada along with their U.S. counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Regarding the Kishida Cabinet’s decision to acquire the capability, Washington expressed strong support, with the statement describing Japan’s decision as “a significant evolution that bolsters Alliance deterrence.”

The joint statement also described the strong concerns held by the two nations regarding recent military activities by China.

It said, “China’s foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order to its benefit” and called such moves “of serious concern” and “the greatest strategic challenge in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”

Serious concern was also expressed toward China’s increased pressure on Hong Kong as well as the human rights issues arising in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

Regarding Taiwan, the statement urged a peaceful resolution of problems and pointed to “the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

Specific details were also included about bolstering Japan’s defense of its Nansei chain of islands extending south from the main southern island of Kyushu.

The statement said Japan and the United States had decided to “expand joint/shared use of U.S. and Japanese facilities and to increase bilateral exercises and training.”

The United States will also reorganize the Marines based in Okinawa with the establishment of a new Maritime Littoral Regiment (MLR), which could be deployed quickly in the defense of Japan’s outlying islands.

At the joint news conference following the meeting, Austin explained that the 12th Artillery Regiment currently based in Okinawa would be reorganized into a more mobile and effective MLR that would add a huge capability to the alliance.

About 2,000 Marines would make up the MLR, which would have anti-ship missiles as well as air defense capabilities.

The two sides also agreed that Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty covers any attack on Japan from space. Article 5 states that an armed attack on Japan or U.S. troops based in Japan would warrant a common response by the two nations.

In 2019, the two sides agreed for the first time that any attack on Japan’s cyberspace would be considered an armed attack covered by their security treaty.

The latest joint statement said attacks on Japan from space “present a clear challenge to the security of the Alliance” and “in certain circumstances, could lead to the invocation of Article V.” The two sides would discuss on a case-by-case basis in determining when the article would be invoked.

At the joint news conference, Hamada said, “The national security and defense strategies of the two nations have been coordinated to an unprecedented level and will serve as an outstanding foundation for future bilateral cooperation.”

He also expressed Japan’s intention to make the greatest effort to acquire new capabilities, including the counterstrike one.

Austin said close cooperation with Japan on the use of that capability would further strengthen the alliance.

While possessing that capability would greatly change Japan’s traditional role in the bilateral alliance as the shield in relation to the sword role played by the U.S. military, Hayashi said that no discussion was held about the need for revising the guidelines for bilateral defense cooperation.

(This article was written by Nobuhiko Tajima and Ryo Kiyomiya.)