海角大神

Japan and the US have agreed to strengthen their alliance to address听threats to regional security from North Korea鈥檚 missile program and听China鈥檚 increasingly robust claims to disputed island territories, in the first broadening of the two powers' military alliance in nearly two decades.
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The 10-page joint statement, which was finalized by the Japanese and听US defense ministers in Tokyo听on Thursday, included cooperation on听a wide range of issues, from cyber-attacks and terrorism, to security听in space and joint military exercises.

"Japan is changing and so is its neighborhood," US Secretary of听State John Kerry told reporters after the 鈥渢wo-plus-two鈥� meeting between the US and Japanese foreign and defense ministers.听"So we're coming together now to modernize our deep cooperation,听through both our military alliances and our diplomatic partnerships,听and that is so we can better prevent and respond to the ever-changing听threats of the 21st century."

The Asia-Pacific has become vulnerable to new threats in the 16 years听since the allies last revamped their defense partnership.听

North Korea has continued to develop nuclear weapons and a long-range听ballistic missile program, in defiance of the international community.听China, meanwhile, is causing concern with its dramatic rise in听military spending and aggressive claims to maritime territories.
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Relations between China and Japan have deteriorated sharply in the听past year over their rival claims to the Senkaku islands 鈥� known as听the Diaoyu in China 鈥� in the East China Sea.
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With the Senkaku dispute in mind, Tokyo and Washington agreed to听deploy long-range surveillance drones to monitor the islands by next听spring, in a move that could further raise tensions with China.
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The revamped guidelines do not mention the Senkakus by name, but the听decision to base US Global Hawk drones at American bases in Japan for听the first time is a sign of growing disquiet over frequent Chinese听maritime activity near the islands.
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Publicly, the US has refused to takes sides over the dispute but听recognizes it must help defend Japanese territory under bilateral听treaty obligations. Japan听administers the islands, which are听uninhabited but surrounded by potentially large deposits of natural听gas. Japan听bought the islands from their private owners just over a听year ago, and argues that China only began voicing a claim in the 1970s, when studies suggested that oil and gas deposits might be found near the islands.听

"We strongly oppose any unilateral or coercive action that seeks to听undermine Japan's administrative control," said US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
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Japan鈥檚 foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, said the security environment听in the Asia-Pacific had become 鈥渋ncreasingly severe,鈥� and issued a听thinly veiled warning to China not to raise tensions over the听Senkakus. "We are decidedly opposed to the attempt to change the听status quo through coercion,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ule of law is critically听important."

The US and Japanese joint statement urged China to "play a responsible and听constructive role in regional stability and prosperity, to adhere to听international norms of behavior."

Officials in China, which is marking a week-long national holiday, have听yet to respond to the new agreement. The country鈥檚 foreign ministry,听however, has previously criticized the deployment of the first听military radar system in Japan, saying it would destabilize the听region.
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To counter the threat from North Korea, Japan and the US agreed to听position a second X-band radar system in Japan within the next year.听The radar will enable Tokyo to track missiles from the North aimed at听either country.

Mr. Kerry repeated Washington鈥檚 offer of a non-aggression treaty with听Pyongyang, provided it abandons its nuclear weapons program and听complies with UN resolutions on ballistic missile development.

At the meeting, the officials, who also included Japan鈥檚 defense minister, Itsunori听Onodera, discussed the delicate issue of the US military presence on听the island of Okinawa, home to the bulk of US military bases in Japan.

In a bid to reduce tensions between US troops and Okinawa residents,听Japan agreed to contribute $3.1 billion toward the $8.6 billion听cost of relocating about 9,000 marines from the island, including听5,000 to the US Pacific territory of Guam.

The new defense guidelines come as the Obama administration attempts听to shift its attention on the Asia-Pacific region, and as Japan鈥檚听prime minister, Shinzo Abe, seeks to bolster his country鈥檚 military听capabilities.

In a speech in the US last week, Mr. Abe said Japan should no longer be a听鈥渨eak link鈥� in global security, and should play a more active role in its听alliance with the US.听