The U.S., Japan and South Korea are set to sign a deal on joint military training and information sharing at a rare meeting in Tokyo, looking to lock in gains in security cooperation before America elects its next president in November.
South Korea will send its defense minister to Japan on the first official visit to the country in 15 years. Talks start Sunday and will include top diplomats and military officials from the three nations. The discussions are aimed at taking advantage of an alignment in views among the U.S. and its two major Asian allies on how to counter threats posed by North Korea and China.
The talks will include the first minister-level discussions between Tokyo and Washington about “extended deterrence,” officials say. That refers to the long-standing U.S. commitment to use all of its military power to defend Japan including the potential use of nuclear weapons.
The U.S, delegation is led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. A document on extended deterrence is expected to be produced from the talks, and could include potential scenarios that would necessitate the U.S. intervening to protect Japan, according to the Yomiuri newspaper.
Among other expected agreements is a pact that would formalize plans for regular military training among the three, which have included drills to shoot down missiles and hunt for submarines. They are also looking to enhance senior-level security consultations and build on an agreement to share real-time data on North Korea’s missile launches.
“A priority would be to establish a system to more effectively, promptly and coherently respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, and to make that irreversible,” South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik said in an interview with Bloomberg News last month.
Closer military ties between North Korea and Russia amid Moscow’s war in Ukraine have given fresh momentum to security cooperation among the U.S. and its two allies. It has also spurred warming ties between South Korea and Japan, who are trying to put aside long-running diplomatic disputes.
The military rise of China, North Korean missile development and Russia’s belligerence have created one of the most challenging security environments in East Asia in recent decades.
Cooperation among the U.S. and its two powerful allies has reached some of their strongest levels, after facing troubles during Donald Trump’s presidency. He caused friction with Tokyo and Seoul by demanding hefty spending increases for hosting U.S. troops.
Trump also scaled back or halted major joint training drills while he held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kim modernized his missile arsenal, advanced his new nuclear warheads and increased his stockpile of fissile material during Trump’s tenure.
On Monday, Japan will host a meeting of the foreign ministers of the so-called Quad group that includes Australia, India and the U.S. and is seen as a way to counter Beijing’s assertiveness in the region. China has lambasted the Quad as a mechanism to contain its global rise.