In addition to the U.S. and its NATO allies and partners supporting Japan against China over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and the Philippines against China over the Spratly Islands, Washington is increasingly backing Japanese territorial demands on Russia’s Kuril Islands, with U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel openly referring to the last-named by Japan’s designation, the Northern Territories.

Japan’s lifting its cap on 1% GDP and doubling it to 2% reflects the nation’s steadily closer integration with NATO, which requires members and aspiring members to expend that percentage on arms and the military. Similarly, Tokyo’s violating Article 9 of its constitution which explicitly forbids employing its military for what is in effect military first strikes, is a complement to NATO’s policy on first strikes, including on the first use of nuclear weapons. – RR

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Stars and Stripes
December 12, 2022

‘Strong trust’: Generals from US, Japan, Philippines tout trilateral defense relationship

Land forces from the United States, Japan and the Philippines are teaming up to address security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, military leaders from the three nations told reporters Sunday.

Five generals from the three democracies discussed land force cooperation at Camp Asaka, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force base in Saitama prefecture near the Japanese capital.

The leaders included U.S. Army Pacific commander Gen. Charles Flynn, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific commander Lt. Gen. William Journey, Ground Self-Defense Force commander Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, Philippine army commander Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner and Philippine marine corps commandant Maj. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan.

Their meeting coincided with Yama Sakura, an annual command-post exercise involving U.S. and Japanese military planners along with observers from Australia and the Philippines, that wrapped up Monday.

“This new Japan-Philippines U.S. trilateral relationship will lead to a more powerful force than bilateral ones…,” Yoshida said following the generals’ meeting.

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A pair of Japanese F-15J Eagles landed Dec. 6 at the former Clark Air Base, north of Manila on the Philippines’ main island of Luzon, the Air Self-Defense Force tweeted the next day. The visit was the first to the Philippines by Japanese fighter jets since World War II.

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The countries [Japan and the Philippines] also have territorial disputes with Beijing, which has occupied territory claimed by the Philippines in the South China Sea and regularly sends coast guard vessels into waters claimed by Japan in the East China Sea.

The U.S. has promised to defend the Senkaku Islands [Diaoyu Islands to China], administered by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan….

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Brawner described the generals’ meeting as an “historic event” that will yield activity next year, although he didn’t specify what that will involve.

[T]he Filipino…noted the U.S., Japan and the Philippines are working together for…a rules-based order….

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Kyodo News
December 12, 2022

Japan to boost defense spending to 6.5 tril. yen in FY 2023

Japan will likely boost its defense spending to around 6.5 trillion yen ($47 billion) in fiscal 2023 from the current 5.2 trillion yen, sources close to the matter said Monday, in a five-year effort to double the expenditure….

The government is seeking to spend a total of 43 trillion yen over the next five years until fiscal 2027, when it aims to increase the annual defense budget to around 9 trillion yen, or about a level equivalent to 2 percent of gross domestic product. [That is, to meet NATO standards.]

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To produce defense equipment speedily, the government plans to increase annual defense spending sharply and bring it close to 9 trillion yen in the first few years rather than taking an incremental approach, the sources said.

Japan’s defense budget has long been capped at around 1 percent of GDP. The planned budget increase coincides with a review of three key documents on security and defense policy, which would mark a historic shift to acquiring “counterstrike capability.”