Joint NASA lunar mission, military collaboration to be announced by the United States and Japan
BY SIRAJ April -10-2024 EAST 14:54
This week, the presidents of the United States and Japan will make a commitment to modernizing their military alliance. The ultimate goal of this endeavor is to someday establish a fully operational hub for the most significant defense relationship in the Pacific.
In addition to this, they will present a plan for an integrated air defense network that will link sensors from the United States, Japan, and Australia. This will allow each nation to have a comprehensive understanding of the airborne dangers that are present in the region.
A Japanese astronaut will be the first person from a country other than the United States to participate in a NASA trip to the moon, and they will announce this.
On Wednesday, President Biden will be hosting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a state visit. This will be followed by a first-ever summit with the leaders of Japan, the United States, and the Philippines the following day. These announcements are among the many that are anticipated to be made this week.
The summits are the most recent manifestation of the efforts that the administration of Vice President Joe Biden is doing to strengthen what it refers to as a “latticework” of alliances and partnerships in the area. This will send a clear signal to China. On Sunday, Japan and the United States participated in military maneuvers in the South China Sea, which is an area that China claims as part of its maritime dominion. These drills were conducted with Australia and the Philippines. Australia and the Philippines were also participating.
There has been a substantial deepening of the connection with Japan in particular, and Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell recently referred to it as “the cornerstone of our engagement in the Indo-Pacific.”
Despite the gains, however, there have been some constraints placed on the economy recently. Most recently, Japanese officials have expressed their dissatisfaction with Vice President Joe Biden’s public opposition to Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion proposal to acquire U.S. Steel. The president had stated that it was “vital” that the fading industrial behemoth remained in the hands of the United States company.
But Tokyo, according to officials there, has maintained an outwardly calm demeanor despite the fact that they are aware of the election-year need of Biden’s resistance to the takeover posture. The two governments are adamant that this week’s visit will not be disrupted by the situation, and they have emphasized that it is up to the companies to figure out how to resolve it.
Because of the convergence of their respective security interests, Japan and the Philippines have been more closely aligned with the United States as a result of China’s increasing assertiveness in the region. A substantial number of changes have been made to Japan’s national security and defense programs over the course of the previous year and a half. Additionally, Japan has committed to purchasing Tomahawk missiles from the United States and developing its own counterstrike capabilities. The United States military has been granted access to additional bases located on the islands of the Philippines.
Officials from the administration of Vice President Joe Biden have stated that the relationship between the United States and Japan is in the best possible form it has ever been in. “There ought to be a permanent level of mutual trust,” said one Japanese official, who, along with other top officials in both capitals, spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the planning for the meeting.
Kishida, who is scheduled to deliver a speech on Thursday to a joint gathering of Congress, will also emphasize Japan’s goals of becoming a leadership nation on the international stage. Kishida rallied support for Ukraine at the Group of Seven summit that took place in Hiroshima, Japan, in the previous year. He also extended participation from the Global South in the conference of advanced democracies. Additionally, he advocated for collective action against economic coercion, which was a subtle jab at China.
The United States and Japan are aligning themselves “in many ways like a NATO ally,” according to a senior source in the office of Vice President Joe Biden.
According to a senior administration official, Vice President Biden will not reveal a precise strategy, despite the fact that he will declare his intention to improve the combined military command structure of the United States in Japan. A plan has not yet been approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, according to the person. This decision was made after consulting with the president and Adm. Samuel Paparo, who will soon take over as chief of the United States Indo-Pacific Command.
Meanwhile, Tokyo has declared that it intends to build a Joint activities Command by the year 2025 in order to direct all military activities carried out by Japan. This is a step that the United States has been seeking for a very long time. In exchange, Tokyo would prefer the United States to establish a command office in Japan for operational purposes. Indo-Pacom, which has its headquarters in Hawaii, is currently in charge of directing joint operations involving United States forces stationed in Japan.
