Washington: Top US and Japanese national security officials unveiled plans Wednesday to strengthen the alliance to counter threats from North Korea and China, which they described as the region's greatest challenge.

The agreement reflects the two countries' efforts to deepen cooperation "across all realms," including space, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"It is difficult to overstate the importance of the US-Japan alliance for more than seven decades," Blinken said after the State Department meeting. "It's been the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, ensuring the security, the liberty and prosperity of our people and people across the region.

Also Read: WHO warns not to give these cough syrups to children

As they face rising threats from North Korea and increased aggression from China, the two countries are revising their joint defence posture and planning increased military exercises.

The US and Japanese foreign and defence ministers agreed to scale back America's presence on Okinawa. Prior to the meeting, Japan's defence ministry announced that work on an uninhabited island where the two militaries will conduct joint military exercises had begun.

Following Wednesday's discussions, President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet on Friday to emphasise the importance of the relationship.

Kishida signed a defence agreement with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, strengthening military ties between their two countries in response to China's increasing military assertiveness.

Following their discussions, Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and their Japanese counterparts, Yoshimasa Hayashi and Yasukazu Hamada, planned to issue a joint statement adjusting, but not increasing, American troop presence on Okinawa.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, all four condemned China's growing aggression in the region and stated that the agreement will provide a strong counter-narrative.

Austin stated that the agreement confirms America's "ironclad commitment to defend Japan with a full range of capabilities, including nuclear," and that Article 5 of the Mutual Security Treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands. Beijing also claims the disputed islands outside of Japanese territorial waters.

According to an administration fact sheet, the statement also includes a formal mention of space in the long-standing security treaty, stating that "attacks to, from, and within space" could trigger the treaty's mutual defence provisions. That was previously outside the scope of the contract.

Japan announced earlier Wednesday that it would soon begin constructing a pair of runways on the small southern island of Mageshima where the two militaries will conduct joint exercises, including those involving F-35B stealth fighters, amphibious operations, and missile interception, beginning in 2027.

According to the report, construction could begin as early as Thursday. The island, located off the southwestern coast of Kagoshima on Kyushu's southernmost main island, will serve as a staging area for troop deployment and munition supply in the event of a conflict such as a Taiwan emergency.

Also Read: Attack on a Paris train station leaves at least 6 people hurt

Japan and the United States are relocating one of their key flight training sites to the southern island, which is much closer to the US air base of Iwakuni, which is home to an F-35B fleet, than the current training site on Iwo Jima, site of one of World War II's bloodiest and most iconic battles.

According to US officials, the changes to the deployment on Okinawa will transform the 12th Marine Regiment into a smaller, more rapidly mobile unit called the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, which will be better equipped to fight an adversary and defend the US and its allies in the region.

Austin stated that the regiment will provide the region with "tremendous" capabilities as a "more lethal, more agile, and more capable" military unit.
According to officials, the decision will not increase the number of Marines on the island and will not result in any significant changes in weapon capability.
Military capability or troop reinforcement is a sensitive issue for Okinawa, the site of one of the bloodiest ground battles at the end of World War II. More than half of the US troops stationed in Japan are stationed on the island, and Okinawans want that number reduced.

Negotiations involving US force posture in Okinawa have historically been "unbelievably fraught, incredibly challenging, and difficult," according to a senior administration official who requested anonymity to discuss negotiations with the Japanese. However, negotiations prior to Wednesday's meeting were completed in record time, according to the official.

The agreements follow Japan's announcement last year that it would increase defence spending to 2% of GDP over five years. This would make Japan's defence budget the world's third-largest, reflecting growing concerns about North Korea and potential Chinese military action against Taiwan.

While there is growing concern about a Taiwan emergency, many islands in the region are concerned that a defence buildup will increase the chances of becoming embroiled in a war.

The change in Okinawa is part of a larger shift within the Marine Corps to improve the service's ability to operate in contested areas, particularly within striking distance of an enemy. This is especially important in the Indo-Pacific, where thousands of US and allied forces are easily within missile – or even rocket – range of both China and North Korea.
One Marine littoral regiment has already been established in Hawaii, and the second would be established in Okinawa.

A littoral regiment consists of approximately 2,000 Marines and includes a combat team with an anti-ship missile battery, a logistics battalion, and an air defence battalion. The current Marine regiment on Okinawa, which it would essentially replace, consists of approximately 3,400 Marines and sailors. According to officials, the overall number of Marines on Okinawa will remain roughly the same.

According to a senior administration official, Biden is expected to discuss with Kishida the case of Lt. Ridge Alkonis, a US Navy officer stationed in Japan who was sentenced last year after pleading guilty to the negligent driving deaths of two Japanese citizens in May 2021.

Alkonis' family claims he passed out behind the wheel during a family trip to Mt. Fuji. They say he was so out of it that neither his daughter's screams for him to wake up nor the impact of the collision roused him.

Alkonis' car swerved into parked cars and pedestrians in a parking lot, killing an elderly woman and her son-in-law. In October, Alkonis was sentenced to three years in prison, a sentence that the family and US lawmakers have deemed excessive given the circumstances.

Also Read: Reasons both natural and artificial for New Zealand's hottest year

Alkonis also agreed to pay $1.65 million in restitution to the victims.
The administration was working "to find a compassionate resolution that is consistent with the rule of law," according to the official.