During the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee meeting on July 28, 2024, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru, and Japan Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamikawa Yoko resolved to enhance U.S.-Japan Alliance deterrence and response capabilities to uphold the free and open rules-based international order.
Following Japan Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's official visit to Washington, D.C., on April 10, 2024, the officials underscored bilateral progress in building a global partnership for the future. This includes upgrading Alliance command and control (C2), deepening defense industry and advanced technology cooperation, and enhancing cross-domain operations. During the 2+2 meeting, they reaffirmed their intent to accelerate these efforts.
The United States and Japan decided to upgrade the core tenets of the Alliance to reflect their historic level of bilateral interoperability and address challenges posed to their shared vision and common values.
The Ministers announced a decision to modernize U.S. and Japanese command and control (C2) frameworks. This includes reconstituting U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) into a Joint Force Headquarters, complementing Japan's establishment of the JSDF Joint Operations Command (JJOC). The JJOC will increase Japan's joint operations capability and facilitate greater interoperability with U.S. forces. Reconstituting USFJ will expand its missions and operational responsibilities, marking one of the most significant changes since its creation.
The Ministers welcomed initiatives to strengthen bilateral training, exercises, operations, and bolster the Alliance's presence in Japan's Southwest Islands. They reiterated U.S. defense commitments under Article V of the Mutual Security Treaty, including nuclear commitments, emphasizing Japan's role in maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region through seamless responses from peacetime to contingency.
The United States and Japan further accelerated work on co-production, co-development, and co-sustainment to advance innovation, strengthen industrial bases, promote resilient supply chains, and invest in strategic industries.
The Ministers highlighted recent convenings of the Forum on Defense Industry Cooperation, Acquisition, and Sustainment (DICAS) with working groups focusing on missile co-production, ship repair, aircraft repair, and supply chain resilience. They welcomed efforts for mutually beneficial co-production opportunities to expand production capacity of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and Patriot PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE). These efforts aim to meet critical demands for advanced systems while addressing procurement requirements.
They supported Japan's revision of its Three Principles on the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology along with its Implementation Guidelines to leverage both countries' industrial bases for critical capabilities.
The United States and Japan reiterated support for networking with allies beyond the Indo-Pacific region recognizing their alliance as central to regional peace.
They committed to strengthening cooperation with South Korea on ballistic missile defense and trilateral exercises addressing regional challenges. They also resolved to advance trilateral cooperation with Australia by partnering on emerging technology research; exploring reciprocal deployments of F-35s; conducting more trilateral exercises; deepening intelligence activities; increasing cooperation with the Philippines on maritime security; reaffirming partnerships in Southeast Asia; engaging more with Euro-Atlantic partners bilaterally or through NATO or EU entities.
