The US and Japan on Monday reaffirmed a joint commitment made last year that the protection of Taiwan is a "common strategic objective" of both countries, as they pledged to further strengthen their bilateral military cooperation.
The reaffirmation came as Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Defense Minister Fukushiro Nukaga began a three-day visit to Washington to sign an agreement on a realignment of US forces stationed in bases in Japan and deal with a broad range of security issues.
The realignment agreement was signed late on Monday.
The two ministers met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in the so-called "2 plus 2" meeting under the US-Japan Security Consultative Committee.
"The ministers affirmed their commitment to close cooperation in realizing the common strategic objectives the Security Consultative Committee [SCC] identified in February 2005," the four ministers said after their meeting.
"The ministers stressed the imperative of strengthening and improving the effectiveness of bilateral security and defense cooperation in such areas as ballistic missile defense, bilateral contingency planning, information sharing and intelligence cooperation," as well as boosting the interoperability of the two nations' armed forces, they said.
During the meeting in February last year, also in Washington and involving Rice and Rumsfeld, Japan for the first time publicly identified the defense and security of Taiwan as a "common strategic objective."
According to reports at the time, that statement marked a major shift in Japan's strategic view of Taiwan and Japan's own relations with China. Previously, Tokyo appeared content to let the US bear the brunt of any defense of Taiwan. The statement also evoked a sharp rebuke from Beijing, whose military buildup in recent years has been a source of increasing concern in Japan.
No regrets
The reaffirmation shows that "there's no regret about that `2 plus 2' statement in February 2005," said Mike Green, the former head of East Asian affairs at the National Security Council and now an academic at the Center for Strategic and International Relations in Washington. "They're moving full speed ahead, and that's a good sign for peace in the Taiwan Strait."
The talks this week are very important for Taiwan, Green said, because of the difficulty in arranging such talks. The fact they have taken place debunks rumors of drift in the US-Japan alliance in recent months, he said.
"The administration is still very focused on the alliance with Japan and on implementing the specifics of that `2 plus 2' agreement last February ... which is a good thing from Taipei's perspective," he said.
In terms of joint US-Japan missile defense activities, which could come into play in the event of a Chinese missile attack on Taiwan, The "2 plus 2" session finalized an agreement for US Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile batteries to be deployed at US facilities in Japan.
These will become operational "at the earliest possible time," a fact sheet issued by the State Department said.
In addition, both sides pledged to "deploy additional capabilities and improve their respective ballistic missile defense capabilities" and to strengthen coordination.
Political gains
For Aso, who is an ardent nationalist, harsh critic of China and strong supporter of Taiwan, the trip also has a personal aspect, according to Japan analyst Edward Lincoln of the Council of Foreign Relations and the director of a US-Japan center at New York University.
The trip will burnish Aso's image in Washington, where he is considered by some to be "a problem," Lincoln said, and boost his political strength back home. Aso will hold high-level meetings with Bush administration officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney.
Aso aggravated China in March when he referred to Taiwan as a "nation." Tokyo later back-pedaled from that remark after Beijing launched a formal complaint.
He is widely expected to run for prime minister in September when Junichiro Koizumi retires, although he faces a tough fight from his two other likely contenders, including Shinzo Abe, the acting secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and another staunch China critic. Koizumi is scheduled to visit Washington in June.
also see story:
Mayors pan Japan-US troop deal
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from