Report on Japanese Military Power 2012 (4)

B. Dynamic defense cooperation—military adjustment in support of theU.S. strategy of rebalancing towards the Asia-Pacific region

In 2012, to be supportive of the U.S. strategy of rebalancing towards the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region and its Air-Sea Battle concept, Japan initiated dynamic defense cooperation with the U.S.. The cooperation is intended to strengthen the JSDF, and accelerate its military transformation into a major military power. Meanwhile, the U.S. is in urgent need of its allies’ support, especially that from Japan, for the implementation of its new strategic shift amid fiscal restraints and insufficient resources. Since the latter half of 2011, the U.S. has begun implementing its strategic rebalance with military deployment. Almost at the same time, in December 2011, the concept of dynamic defense cooperation came out of the talks between U.S. Secretary of Defense and Japanese Defense Minister. From the end of April to the beginning of May, 2012, “2 plus 2” conference between Japan and the U.S. and the talks between the two heads of state declared that dynamic defense cooperation was both a link in alliance deterrence and a new initiative of the coalition. The “2 plus 2” conference also reached a new agreement on relocating Futenma Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS), isolating the issue from the redeployment of U.S. Marine Corps from Okinawa to Guam, so that reorganization of U.S. Forces in Japan (USFJ), transformation of Japanese defense and realignment of Japanese military deployment, and dynamic defense cooperation between the two countries will proceed smoothly against a backdrop of U.S. strategic rebalance. As tension was building up around the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands in the latter half of 2012, U.S. Defense Secretary and Japanese Defense Minister conducted two separate talks in August and September. As a result, the two countries decided not only to revise the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation, but also to step up efforts for dynamic defense cooperation which the Japanese side interprets in the following three aspects: a. Joint training. For example, the two countries held their first joint exercise in overseas real-combat context for recapturing islands in Hawaii, Guam, and the Tinian in September 2012. Then in November, the two countries conducted Exercise “Keen Sword” off Kyushu and Okinawa. 37,000 troops, nearly 30 warships and 240 aircraft from the JSDF joined 10,000 U.S. troops in island defense involving maritime and air operations; b. Sharing bases and facilities. U.S. forces could use Japanese bases while the JSDF were not allowed to use U.S. bases until an agreement on sharing military facilities was reached. The agreement is conducive to improving the interoperability of the two militaries. The JSDF also benefits from the agreement in that it is now able to play a greater role within the coalition framework and its ambition to step outside its borders can be fulfilled; c. Closer cooperation in combat and support. Japan-U.S. cooperation in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in the Western Pacific, in anti-missile, anti-submarine, and base protection operations is to be greatly enhanced. Besides, the Japan-U.S. Cooperation Initiative released after the talk in April 2012 between U.S. and Japanese heads of state announced bilateral cooperation in space situational awareness (SSA) using FPS-5, IT, etc. Along a similar line of development, Japan has been pushing for the deployment of V-22 Osprey cargo helicopters in Okinawa since the latter half of 2012.

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