The Pentagon has announced it will upgrade its command in Japan, providing it with more warfighting responsibilities, following the US-Japan security meeting that took place in Tokyo on July 28.

The gathering named Russia, China and North Korea as “security challenges”, prompting a rebuke from China that warned Japan and US against “creating imaginary enemies”.

Russia warned about counter-measures in response to Tokyo’s rapid militarization which contradicts Japan’s pacifist constitution, whereas North Korea stressed Japan’s bellicosity upends regional security.

▪️The US Forces Japan (USFJ) will be reconstituted as a joint force headquarters, reporting to the commander of US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM).

Up until recently the USFJ has been primarily, an “administrative command,” that maintained day-to-day management of the US-Japanese alliance, but not operational command of forces.

▪️The upgraded USFJ will gradually add missions and capabilities including planning of joint drills, commanding of operations and acting on shared intelligence and information together with the Japanese military.

▪️The USFJ will also “complement” the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Joint Operations Command (JJOC), which was recently created to increase Japan’s joint operations capability and facilitate greater interoperability with US forces.

▪️The US and Japan agreed to bolster bilateral training, exercises, operations, intelligence sharing and their military presence in Japan’s Southwest Islands in close proximity to Taiwan.

▪️The US and Japan also held first ministerial talks on extending the US nuclear umbrella over Japan.

The military command upgrade followed the signing of 70 military cooperation agreements in April, and decision to deploy the US-made Tomahawk missiles in Japan.