On Sunday, July 28th, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin, along with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, met in Tokyo to discuss how to enhance the U.S.’s “extended deterrence.”
Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. providing a “nuclear umbrella” to its allies in the event of nuclear threats or attacks, utilizing conventional weapons and missile defense systems to defend allies just as it would defend its own territory.
During the meeting, the Foreign and Defense Ministers of the U.S. and Japan discussed strengthening extended deterrence to promote regional stability and prevent conflicts from escalating.
“Given the increasingly serious nuclear threats around Japan, it is necessary to further strengthen extended deterrence. I welcome the ongoing deepening discussions on this issue,” said Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa at the beginning of the meeting.
According to a statement released by the Pentagon, the Foreign and Defense Ministers of the two countries jointly assessed the “deteriorating regional security environment,” including China’s accelerated and opaque expansion of its nuclear arsenal, North Korea’s destabilizing behavior and continued pursuit of illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and Russia’s disruption of arms control agreements.
“In this situation, the U.S. and Japan reaffirmed the need to strengthen the alliance’s deterrent posture and manage existing and emerging strategic threats through deterrence, arms control, risk reduction, and non-proliferation,” the statement said.
The importance of continuing to strengthen the U.S.’s extended deterrence capabilities was emphasized by the Foreign and Defense Ministers of the U.S. and Japan.
On the same day, Defense Ministers from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea also signed a memorandum to institutionalize trilateral defense relations, enabling ongoing policy consultations, information sharing, and joint exercises amidst the increasing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea and China’s assertive behavior in the region.
Following the trilateral defense ministers’ meeting between the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara stated, “By signing this memorandum, our trilateral cooperation… has become more solid, and it will not waver even in the face of changes in the international situation.”