Current:Home > StocksUS ambassador thanks Japan for defense upgrade and allowing a Patriot missile sale to US-InfoLens
US ambassador thanks Japan for defense upgrade and allowing a Patriot missile sale to US
View Date:2024-12-23 16:56:44
TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel praised Japan’s contribution to drastic “reform and modernization” of their alliance, particularly its military capability and spending, as well as a decision to allow Japanese-made Patriot guided missiles to be shipped to the United States to make up for its decreasing inventory.
In a meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara on Wednesday, Emanuel noted a series of steps Japan has taken to bolster its military power and the countries’ alliance, saying it brings the “level of deterrence to capital D deterrence.”
In the latest move, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government on Friday eased its postwar ban on lethal weapons exports, a move seen as a major break from Japan’s postwar self-defense-only principle. It also approved a 16.5% increase in defense spending next year to a record 7.95 trillion-yen ($56 billion) with a focus on missile strike and defense capabilities.
The revision to the arms transfer policy allows Japan to export weapons and components made in Japan under foreign licenses to the licensing nations. It’s also a first major revision of Japan’s arms export ban since an earlier easing on non-lethal weapons transfer in 2014. Kishida’s government is currently in the process of further easing the policy to allow sale to third countries of jointly developed lethal weapons, like a next-generation fighter jet Japan is co-developing with Britain and Italy.
Japan on Friday quickly approved a U.S. request for shipment of surface-to-air Patriot guided missiles produced in Japan under an American license to complement U.S. inventory, prompting speculation they may be sent to Ukraine.
Kihara said Tuesday the two sides were still discussing details as officials need to carefully make production and shipment plans so “this will not make a hole in the defense of Japan.”
Pacifist groups, academics and some opposition lawmakers in Japan have questioned why Tokyo is selling the Patriot missiles. Critics say it also needs to fortify its missile strike and defense capabilities to be able to cope with an increasingly assertive China.
Kihara said the Patriot shipment is intended to showcase the will and capability of the Japan-U.S. military alliance and to ensure the peace and stability of Japan. It also shows Japan does not tolerate any attempts to change the status quo of international order, he said.
Emanuel described Japan’s revision to the military equipment sale policy as “a capstone to a year of reform.” He said it will result in a greater inventory for the United States as well as the Indo-Pacific region.
“That’s really important for a system that’s under stress,” Emanuel said of the Patriot missiles, which the United States supplies to Ukraine. “So it’s very helpful when we manage our inventory.” Emanuel said the shipment from Japan is only for U.S. inventory.
He said all the steps Japan has taken, from the defense spending increase to planned deployment of Tomahawks, underscore its transformation “from alliance protection to alliance projection” and that “we are very deeply appreciative.”
veryGood! (24)
Related
- Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn ends retirement, plans to return to competition
- Arkansas Supreme Court upholds wording of ballot measure that would revoke planned casino’s license
- Takeaways from The Associated Press’ reporting on extremism in the military
- Liam Payne's Girlfriend Kate Cassidy Shares Glimpse into Singer's Final Weeks Before His Death
- Jerry Jones lashes out at question about sun's glare at AT&T Stadium after Cowboys' loss
- A Data Center Fight Touches on a Big Question: Who Assumes the Financial Risk for the AI Boom?
- A father and son are both indicted on murder charges in a mass school shooting in Georgia
- His country trained him to fight. Then he turned against it. More like him are doing the same
- Drone footage captures scope of damage, destruction from deadly Louisville explosion
- Murder trial to begin in small Indiana town in 2017 killings of two teenage girls
Ranking
- 2 credit unions in Mississippi and Louisiana are planning to merge
- Asian American evangelicals’ theology is conservative. But that doesn’t mean they vote that way
- Rita Ora Leaves Stage During Emotional Performance of Liam Payne Song
- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade lineup will include Minnie Mouse — finally
- BITFII Introduce
- Harris pressed on immigration, Biden in tense Fox News interview | The Excerpt
- Mountain West commissioner says she’s heartbroken over turmoil surrounding San Jose State volleyball
- Judge dismisses lawsuit over old abortion rights ruling in Mississippi
Recommendation
-
Inspector general finds no fault in Park Police shooting of Virginia man in 2017
-
US presidential election looms over IMF and World Bank annual meetings
-
One Direction's Liam Payne May Have Been Unconscious When He Fatally Fell From Balcony
-
Megan Marshack, aide to Nelson Rockefeller who was with him at his death in 1979, dies at 70
-
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chancellor to step down at end of academic year
-
Cleveland mayor says Browns owners have decided to move team from lakefront home
-
Alabama to execute man for killing 5 in what he says was a meth-fueled rampage
-
Former United Way worker convicted of taking $6.7M from nonprofit through secret company