The Yomiuri Shimbun said yesterday that Japan had requested the revision include a clear commitment by US forces in the event of an attack on Japanese-claimed islands. Tokyo is locked in a long-running dispute with Beijing over the islets in the East China Sea known as the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Senkaku Islands in Japan.
The allies are expected to announce agreement over the revised guidelines later this month. US President Barack Obama is due to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Washington on April 28 for a summit.
- Obama has said the Japanese-controlled isles are covered by a bilateral security treaty obliging the US to defend Japan, but Washington has also made clear it does not want to get dragged into a Sino-Japanese conflict.
"I reaffirmed President Obama's July 2014 commitment to apply our security treaty to all areas under Japanese administration and our continued strong opposition to any unilateral coercive action that seeks to undermine Japan's administrative control of the Senkaku Islands," Ash said.
Patrol vessels and fighter jets from both Japan and China regularly shadow each other near the tiny, uninhabited islets, raising fears that a confrontation could develop into a clash.......(Reuters in Tokyo.....scmp.com)
14-15/4/15
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Related:
US, Japan trust each other but both wary of China
China asks US to stop interfering in maritime disputes
US welcomes China-Japan agreement.("positive step")
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U.S. backs Japan's Abe, tells China to stop destabilising actions
Senkaku/Diaoyu are covered by a bilateral security treaty that obligates America to come to Japan's defence.
U.S. reluctant to specify "Senkakus" in Obama-Abe statement.
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Optimism Over US-Japan Relations Ahead of Abe's Visit ...
ReplyDeleteThere is optimism about strengthening relations between the U.S. and Japan days ahead of a state visit April 28 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the United States. This sentiment was on display after comments by a senior U.S. official in Washington and rare bipartisan support by some members of Congress.
“We are close partners on the world stage, fighting Ebola, mitigating the impact of climate change, countering violent extremism, eliminating the threat of ISIL and other groups that challenge us,” said Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The comments come after Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter returned from a visit to the region and a greater push towards rebalancing towards Asia, amid more pressing priorities such as the conflict in Yemen and Syria.
“Japan is our most trusted ally in the pacific region and as we go forward we share an interest in human rights, in democracy, in trade and in making sure that our shared values are spread throughout the world,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), co-chair of the U.S.-Japan caucus.
Foundations of Partnership
“We oppose any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine in any way the Japanese administration,” Blinken said while speaking at a U.S.-Japan town hall meeting. He was referring to a more assertive China in the region and reaffirmed that the U.S. would stand by a security agreement that it had with Japan.
In part, China’s actions in the East and South China Seas have “driven Japan much closer to the U.S.,” said Joshua Walker, a non-resident transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund and former State Department official.............voanews.com
14/4/15