Tokyo, 25 May, /AJMEDIA/
Japan and the United States are considering holding talks involving their foreign and defense chiefs in Tokyo as early as July, a source familiar with the matter said Friday.
Tokyo and Washington originally planned to hold the so-called two-plus-two security meeting at the end of May, but it was rescheduled due to a conflict on the U.S. side, according to the source.
It would be the first two-plus-two talks for the two governments since January 2023, when the four Japanese and U.S. officials gathered in Washington.
Among the expected agenda items is the review of the U.S.-Japan alliance’s command and control operations, the source said, amid China’s increasingly assertive military activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Aimed at enhancing their alliance’s deterrence and response capabilities, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed at a summit in Washington last month to discuss the topic at the next two-plus-two talks.
Japan will establish a joint command headquarters for its ground, maritime, and air defense forces by the end of March 2025, aimed at enhancing alliance interoperability and improving responses to challenges in areas such as cyberspace and outer space.
The U.S. forces are planning to strengthen their command functions in Japan in line with the launch of the new SDF headquarters.
© KYODO
