U.S., Japan to announce upgrade in military cooperation
Tokyo — The Pentagon is expected to announce that the U.S. will upgrade U.S. Forces Japan to a Joint Force Headquarters run by a three-star commander, a major step in U.S.-Japan plans to enhance their defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, alongside his Japanese counterpart, Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara, will announce the change in Tokyo on Sunday. However, defense officials who previewed the announcement to reporters said there are still some details that will take time to work out, like how many personnel it will involve and what infrastructure might be necessary.
The decision to make the upgrade came out of the Biden administration’s summit in April with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, when the two said they would enhance their command and control systems, part of the two countries’ work to deter a growing threat from China.
Eleanor Watson
Source: cbsnews.com