[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Reduced South Korea-US Exercises... Is the US Aligning with Japan?

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] Will the United States choose South Korea or Japan for its Indo-Pacific strategy? Recently, it appears that the U.S. is placing more importance on its military relationship with Japan rather than South Korea. As China and North Korea's opposition to the South Korea-U.S. alliance intensifies, there are even forecasts that the U.S. will continue its military honeymoon with Japan starting this year.

The United States and Japan marked the 60th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty on the 17th. The U.S.-Japan Security Treaty defines the military alliance between the two countries. The treaty was first signed in September 1951 after World War II and was newly revised in January 1960. According to the treaty, if Japan is attacked, the U.S. will defend Japan and station U.S. troops there.

At this event, both countries emphasized an "unwavering commitment to strengthening the alliance." They stated, "We celebrate the 60th anniversary of the treaty and reflect on the friendship and trust between our two countries over the past 75 years since the end of World War II," and "We pay tribute to the wisdom, courage, and vision of our predecessors."

President Donald Trump also joined in. In a statement released ahead of the 60th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty revision, President Trump congratulated the occasion and expressed confidence in "Japan's increased contributions." He praised, "The rock-solid alliance between these two great nations over the past 60 years has been essential to peace, security, and prosperity in the United States, Japan, the Indo-Pacific region, and the world." He added, "As the security environment continues to change and new challenges arise, it is essential that our alliance grows stronger and deeper."

The reason the U.S. is proactive in its alliance with Japan is because Japan continues its pro-American actions.

The first pro-American action is cost-sharing for defense. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, as of September 2018, about 54,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Japan. In Japan's 2019 budget, the total cost for hosting U.S. troops in Japan was 388.8 billion yen.

The special cost-sharing agreement for U.S. forces stationed in Japan between the U.S. and Japan is set to expire in March next year. Japan's share of the costs for hosting U.S. troops from 2016 through next year totals 946.5 billion yen (approximately 10.3 trillion won). This is based on an agreement made during the Barack Obama administration, which expires at the end of March 2021. Negotiations for a new agreement are expected to intensify starting next year. The U.S. diplomatic media outlet Foreign Policy (FP) reported that the U.S. government has demanded Japan increase its current defense cost-sharing from $2 billion (approximately 2.334 trillion won) by about 400% to $8 billion (approximately 9.336 trillion won). Inside Japan, public opinion questioning the necessity of U.S. forces stationed in Japan is already emerging even before negotiations begin, suggesting some acceptance of the U.S. demands.

40% Increase in U.S.-Japan Joint Exercises... Aligning with U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Trump's pressure is also considerable. Ahead of the 60th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty revision, President Trump emphasized "Japan's contributions to mutual security." This can be interpreted as a call for Japan to significantly increase its cost-sharing for hosting U.S. forces in Japan.

The second pro-American action is arms purchases. According to the '2019 World Defense Market Yearbook' published by the Defense Technology Quality Institute, the U.S. sold a total of $93.1 billion (approximately 109.29 trillion won) worth of weapons to other countries from 2009 to 2018. Japan ranked 8th with $3.64 billion. Although this amount is less than South Korea's ($6.279 billion, approximately 7.3746 trillion won), Japan's U.S. arms purchases have been increasing annually.

In May last year, President Trump visited Japan and actively promoted "arms sales." At a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump announced, "Japan will purchase 105 F-35 stealth fighters from the U.S." He stated, "We manufacture the world's best weapons," and "In 2018, Japan was one of the top allied countries purchasing the most defense equipment from the U.S." The Japanese government had previously planned to purchase 105 F-35 fighters as successors to their main fighter, the F-15, and President Trump reaffirmed this plan.

The third pro-American action is U.S.-Japan joint exercises. According to Japan's Defense White Paper, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) conducted a total of 38 joint exercises with U.S. forces over the past year (lasting 406 days). Compared to 26 exercises (lasting 286 days) in 2016, this represents an increase of over 40%. Since 2018, the U.S. and Japan have also conducted "Dakdok" exercises.

A representative exercise is the live-fire drill named "Keen Sword." This exercise began in 1985 and alternates annually between live-fire and command post exercises. It is similar to the South Korea-U.S. exercise "Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG)." In 2018, it was conducted on the largest scale, involving 47,000 JSDF personnel, 20 ships, and 170 aircraft, while the U.S. dispatched 10,000 troops, the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, and numerous ships and aircraft.

Since 2018, U.S.-Japan joint exercises have also been conducted to prepare for North Korea's ballistic missile threats. These are joint integrated air defense exercises. On the Japanese side, participants included the Joint Staff Office (JSO), Western Army of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), Fleet Command of the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF), and Air Staff Office of the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF). On the U.S. side, the Yokosuka-based 7th Fleet Command participated. Control officers were the Japanese JSO Operations Director (Lieutenant General) and the U.S. 7th Fleet Commander (Lieutenant General).

In December last year, the regular joint exercise between U.S. forces and the JSDF called "U.S.-Japan Joint Regional Command Post Exercise" (nicknamed "Yama Sakura") was held. Yama Sakura began in 1982 and is a joint exercise between the GSDF and the U.S. Army, simulating guerrilla warfare or terrorism in urban areas assuming an enemy landing on the Japanese mainland.

According to the GSDF, about 5,000 JSDF personnel participated in this exercise, including the Ground Staff Office, Ground Component Command, Eastern Army, Western Army, Training and Research Headquarters, Joint Staff Office, Maritime Self-Defense Force, and Air Self-Defense Force. Approximately 1,600 U.S. personnel participated, including the U.S. Army Pacific Command, U.S. Army Japan Command, I Corps, 40th Infantry Division, and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

Earlier this year, the U.S. and Japanese navies conducted joint exercises in the East China Sea. The East China Sea is a sensitive area where U.S.-China hegemony clashes and where China and Japan dispute sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands. This demonstrated the maximization of U.S.-Japan cooperation in a sensitive region. The exercise involved the U.S. Navy's latest amphibious assault ship America (LHA-6), nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), and amphibious command ship Blue Ridge (LCC-19).

A government official said, "The active U.S.-Japan joint exercises may be influenced by unstable security conditions with neighboring countries, but they also reflect the U.S.'s intention to strengthen its alliance with Japan more than with South Korea under the new Indo-Pacific strategy."