A new report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies says Japan should work with Taiwan and other Asian democracies to promote security throughout the region.
Written by former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage and former National Intelligence Council chairman Joseph Nye, the report, The US-Japan Alliance: Anchoring Stability in Asia, urges Tokyo to increase ties and collaboration with Taiwan, India, Australia and the Philippines, and to “ensure unhindered sea-based trade, and to promote overall economic and security well-being.”
There is a “drift” in the US-Japan relationship, and the health and welfare of “one of the world’s most important alliances” is endangered, says the report, which was released on Wednesday.
The report says this comes at a time when the resurgence of China, North Korea with its nuclear capabilities and hostile intentions, and the promise of Asia’s dynamism demand more from the alliance.
“The United States needs a strong Japan no less than Japan needs a strong United States,” it says.
The most immediate challenge is in Japan’s own neighborhood, it says.
“China’s assertive claims to most of the East China Sea and virtually all of the South China Sea, and the dramatic increase in the operational tempo of the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] and other maritime services, including repeated circumnavigation of Japan, reveal Beijing’s intention to assert greater strategic influence throughout the First Island Chain,” it says.
A military contingency in the South China Sea would have severe implications for the security and stability of Japan.
“Japan requires offensive responsibilities to provide for the defense of the nation,” it says.
Both the US and Japan need more “robust, shared and interoperable” intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, and operations.
The report offers a series of policy recommendations to both Tokyo and Washington, and it advises Tokyo to continue engagement in regional forums and with democratic partners, particularly Taiwan, India, Australia and the Philippines.
“Japan should also increase surveillance of the South China Sea in collaboration with the US to ensure freedom of navigation,” the report says.
It urges the US and Japan to improve the quality of their bilateral defense exercises, and make full use of training opportunities in Guam and Australia.
In addition, it says the US and Japan should jointly develop weaponry.
“Japan has the power to decide between complacency and leadership at a time of strategic importance. With the dynamic changes taking place throughout the Asia-Pacific region, Japan will likely never have the same opportunity to help guide the fate of the region,” it says. “In choosing leadership, Japan can secure her status as a tier-one nation.”
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique