United States Seventh Fleet conducts joint exercises aboard USS Carl Vinson flanked by Japan's helicopter carrier Hyuga, in the Pacific Ocean

The United States on Sunday announced plans for a major revamp of its military command in Japan to deepen coordination with its ally's forces, as the two countries labelled China the "greatest strategic challenge" facing the region.

The announcement followed security talks in Tokyo between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and their respective Japanese counterparts, Yoko Kamikawa and Minoru Kihara.

"The United States will upgrade the U.S. Forces Japan to a joint force headquarters with expanded missions and operational responsibilities," Austin told reporters after the so-called "2+2" talks.

"This will be the most significant change to U.S Forces Japan since its creation and one of the strongest improvements in our military ties with Japan in 70 years."

The ministers said in a joint statement that the new command structure would be implemented in parallel with Tokyo's own plans to establish a joint command for its forces by March 2025.

The overhaul is among several measures taken to address what the countries said was an "evolving security environment", noting various threats from superpower China.

The statement criticised what it called Beijing's "provocative" behaviour in the South and East China Seas, joint military exercises with Russia and the rapid expansion of its nuclear weapons arsenal.

Beijing's "foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order for its own benefit at the expense of others," the ministers said in their statement.

"Such behaviour is a serious concern to the Alliance and the entire international community and represents the greatest strategic challenge in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond".

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

Austin told reporters the command upgrade was "not based on any threat from China" but reflected the allies' desire to work more closely and effectively.

Japan provides a base for the U.S. to project military power in Asia, hosting 54,000 American troops, hundreds of U.S. aircraft and Washington's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier strike group.

Prompted by China's growing military might and regular missile tests by nuclear-armed North Korea, Japan has in recent years shifted dramatically from decades of postwar pacifism. In 2022 it unveiled a plan to double defence spending to 2% of gross domestic product.

The new U.S. command in Japan will be headed by a three-star general, a U.S. official said, however Austin said the U.S. would not rule out appointing a four-star commander to Japan in the future as it has in neighbouring South Korea.

NUCLEAR UMBRELLA

For the first time, the ministers also discussed "extended deterrence", a term used to describe the U.S. commitment to use its nuclear forces to deter attacks on allies.

It is sensitive subject in Japan, which has pushed for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and is the only country to have suffered atomic bomb attacks.

The countries discussed reinforcing extended deterrence to promote regional stability and deter the outbreak of conflict, according to an official readout that was scant on detail.

"Amidst increasingly severe nuclear threats in the vicinity of Japan, it is important to further strengthen extended deterrence. I welcome the continuously deepening discussion on this matter," Japan's Kamikawa told reporters at the outset of the talks.

The allies also expressed deep concern about Russia's procurement of ballistic missiles from North Korea to aid its war in Ukraine and the potential for Moscow to transfer weapons of mass destruction or missile-related technology to Pyongyang.

North Korea has vowed to "totally destroy" its enemies in case of war, North Korean state media KCNA reported on Sunday.

Austin and Kihara also met South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik, signing an agreement to "institutionalise" trilateral cooperation through efforts like real-time sharing of North Korean missile warning data and joint military exercises.

The Biden administration has been pushing for deeper cooperation between Tokyo and Seoul, whose strained relations date back to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea.

"This memorandum strengthens the cooperation between Japan, the United States and South Korea, making our partnership unshakable, no matter how the international situation changes," Japan's Kihara told reporters after the trilateral meeting.

Washington also wants to tap Japanese industry to help ease pressure on U.S. weapons makers stretched by demand generated by conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Tokyo and Washington are pursuing various collaborations in this field, including advancing missile co-production efforts as well as building supply chain resilience and facilitating ship and aircraft repair.

However, one flagship project - a plan to use Japanese factories to boost production of Patriot air defence missiles - is being delayed by a shortage of a critical component manufactured by Boeing, Reuters reported this month.

After leaving Tokyo, Blinken and Austin will hold security talks with another Asian ally, the Philippines, as the Biden administration seeks to counter an increasingly bold China.

Blinken met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Laos on Saturday and repeated that Washington and its partners want to maintain a "free and open Indo-Pacific", according to a U.S. readout of the meeting.

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US, Japan take a swipe at China and deepen defence ties

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (C) and his Japanese counterpart Minoru Kihara (L) review an honour guard prior to a meeting in Tokyo Sunday

The United States and Japan issued scathing verbal attacks on China and Russia on Sunday after high-level discussions on enhancing already close defence collaboration between Tokyo and Washington in an increasingly unstable region.

A joint statement issued after "2+2" talks in Tokyo between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Japanese counterparts said China's "foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order for its own benefit at the expense of others".

They also reiterated their "strong objections" to China's "unlawful maritime claims, militarization of reclaimed features, and threatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea".

The communique also criticised Russia's "growing and provocative strategic military cooperation" with China, as well as Moscow's procurement of ballistic missiles and other materiel from North Korea "for use against Ukraine". It also expressed alarm at China's "ongoing and rapid expansion of its nuclear weapons arsenal".

Blinken said US alliances were all "defensive in nature".

"They have no ambitions toward anyone else, and never have been or ever will be offensive in nature," he told a news conference.

"But at a time when unfortunately these threats are increasing, our alliances, our partnerships, they're getting deeper, they're getting stronger, they're getting more effective," he said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said: "We are at an historic turning point."

"Developments that shake the very foundation of free and open international order based on rule of law are continuing."

"We must deepen and develop the US-Japan alliance to safeguard the international order and enhance deterrence," she said.

China claims the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars of trade passes annually, almost in its entirety, while Tokyo and Beijing are also at loggerheads over disputed Japan-controlled islands in the East China Sea.

- Three-star general -

The statement also confirmed US plans to establish in Japan a new Joint Force Headquarters, headed by a three-star US commander, for the 54,000 US military personnel stationed there.

It will serve as a counterpart to Japan's planned Joint Operations Command for all its armed forces, making the two militaries more nimble in the case of a crisis over Taiwan or the Korean peninsula.

US forces in Japan currently report back to Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, around 6,500 kilometres (4,000 miles) away and 19 hours behind Tokyo.

Japan and the United States also agreed to enhance planning for contingencies and "improve and expand" the scope of joint training and exercises.

Japan has been shedding its strict pacifist stance in recent years, ramping up defence spending and moving to obtain "counterstrike" capabilities.

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a "new era" in cooperation at a summit at the White House in April.

Japan and the Philippines -- Blinken's and Austin's next stop for a "2+2" -- signed a defence pact this month that will allow the deployment of troops on each other's territory.

That followed the first trilateral summit between the leaders of Japan, the Philippines and the United States in Washington in April.

- Camp David -

Japan and South Korea, like the Philippines, have also moved to bury the hatchet over World War II, with Biden hosting both countries' leaders at Camp David last August.

Austin and Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara held talks with Shin Won-sik, the first South Korean defence minister to visit Japan in 15 years, ahead of the Japan-US "2+2" meeting.

They signed a memorandum of cooperation to further tighten ties, including information sharing and trilateral exercises.

"Trilateral cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea has become stronger and unshakable even under various changes in the international situation," Kihara told reporters.

The discussions between Japan and the United States also covered enhancing Washington's "extended deterrence" commitment to use its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to protect Japan.

China's military modernisation, North Korea's nuclear and missile work, and nuclear sabre-rattling in the Ukraine war have unsettled Japan, said Naoko Aoki, a political scientist at the RAND think tank.

"(It) is important for the United States to reassure Japan of its commitment and signal to potential adversaries that the alliance remains strong and that the United States is committed to using nuclear weapons if necessary to defend Japan," she told AFP.

On Monday, Blinken and Kamikawa will meet S. Jaishankar and Penny Wong, their Indian and Australian counterparts in the Quad, an alliance seen as a bulwark against China.

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