Photo/Illutration U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Singapore on June 3 (Ryo Kiyomiya)

SINGAPORE—U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirmed the United States commitment to strengthen cooperation with Japan and also said the possibility of appointing a four-star general to head U.S. Forces Japan is still under consideration. 

Austin met with media outlets including The Asahi Shimbun here on June 3 where he was attending the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum. 

Asked by a reporter about the possibility of deploying intermediate-range missile systems in Japan, Austin said, “I don't have any announcements to make today, but in terms of what we do as a part of exercises, we routinely deploy different types of capability and re-deploy that capability over time.  We are looking to, in our work with Japan, to strengthen our exercises, and we are pretty excited about that.”

Asked about the ideal command-and-control structure in Japan, Austin said, “What we are going to do regarding a future four-star billet, this is something that we are looking at very closely.  I don’t have any announcements to make today.  We want to get it right the first time.  And so we continue to work this issue.”

Pressed by a reporter if it is ideal to deploy a four-star general in Japan to strengthen the command structure, Austin said, “Again, I don’t have any announcements to make.  This is something that we are evaluating.”

Currently, the commander of U.S. Forces Japan is Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp. 

Austin’s remarks are significant because he said the United States is studying in detail having a four-star general stationed in Japan as the leader in charge of the joint mission with the Self-Defense Forces.

It would be an upgrade from a lieutenant general and the same rank as the SDF’s commander of the joint operations command.

The possible change aims to strengthen the authority of U.S. Forces Japan and to achieve close coordination of command and control between Japan and the United States.

While Austin said the United States “(does) not have any announcements to make,” he himself touched on the idea of a U.S. general assuming command in cooperation with the SDF.

By saying that the United States is “evaluating” the idea, he made it clear that it is a viable option.

Behind the U.S. decision to strengthen the functions of the U.S. Forces Headquarters in Japan at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo is a sense of crisis over North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests as well as China’s growing military power.

With Chinese tensions over Taiwan also rising, there is a growing recognition that Japan and the United States need to strengthen cooperation in operational planning and training with a view to responding to contingencies.

Currently, U.S. Forces Japan does not have operational command authority during contingencies or training exercises.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command based in Hawaii has command authority over U.S. Forces Japan.

But the Indo-Pacific Command's area of operation ranges from the Far East to the Indian Ocean, which is vast and involves time differences. Therefore, it has been pointed out that there are limits to cooperation with the SDF.

U.S. Forces Korea is under the same Indo-Pacific Command, but its commander in chief is a four-star general. 

The joint operations command, which Japan will establish by next spring to command the SDF centrally, will also be staffed with a commander of the same rank as the chief of staff of the land, sea and air forces.

Both in Japan and the United States there have been calls for a general of the same rank as the commander of the joint operations command to be assigned to the U.S. Forces Headquarters in Japan to facilitate the coordination of U.S. forces and the SDF.

If the commander in chief in Japan becomes a general, it would be a symbolic upgrade that would increase Japan’s importance in U.S. military strategy in the face of a rising China.

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