(Bloomberg) -- Deepening security integration between the US and Japan will help ensure ties between the allies remain strong regardless of political changes, Washington’s top envoy to Japan said.
Rahm Emanuel, the US ambassador to Japan, highlighted announcements on Sunday of plans to create a command-and-control center for the US military in Japan, joint weapons production with Tokyo and regular three-way military exercises with South Korea.
Speaking on Bloomberg TV, Emanuel described them as outcomes of the “most significant” weekend of Washington’s Indo-Pacific presence.
Threats by Donald Trump to withdraw from NATO and pressure during his time as president for allies such as Japan to pay more for US military protection have stirred concerns among government officials in Tokyo about the possibility he may bring instability to ties if he wins the presidential election in November.
Emanuel said Japan’s contributions to the alliance, including plans to raise defense spending to 2% from 1% of its GDP, had helped underpin bipartisan support in Washington for the alliance. Just as there is a broadly hawkish consensus on China, there is a widespread backing to close ties with Japan, he said.
“I think there’s two countries that have bipartisan agreement,” he said, adding one is China and the other is Japan, “but from different perspectives.”
More broadly, US efforts to build stronger alliances with other Asia-Pacific nations, including Australia and the Philippines, have meant it has become harder for China to isolate any of them, Emanuel said. Efforts by Beijing to bring neighboring countries into its orbit have failed, he said.
“The script’s been flipped. And the isolated party — it’s China and they are now on their back heel,” he said.
During a recent swing through the region that included stops in Laos, Tokyo and Manila, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a string of security initiatives, including more financial support for the Philippines military.
While in Tokyo, Austin said the US military would upgrade its operations in Japan to allow the top commander in the country to deploy and direct US forces, rather than wait for direction from Indo-Pacific military command in Hawaii.
Japan also plans to increase production of Patriot missiles and launch joint output of other missiles with US defense contractors. Tokyo and Seoul, meanwhile, are moving to put years of troubled ties behind them to step up trilateral military training and information sharing with the US.
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