Japan courts both the US and China on security and trade

In his first trip to Asia this weekend, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called for greater military cooperation between Tokyo and Washington. “Japan is our indispensable partner in deterring Communist Chinese military aggression,” hesaid prior to meeting with Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in Tokyo Sunday. “The US is moving fast … to reestablish deterrence in this region and around the world.”

The two countries agreed tospeed up plans to jointly develop and produce missiles such as Advanced Medium-Range Air to Air Missiles, or MRAAM, and consider producing SM-6 surface-to-air missiles. Japan and the US will also accelerate the maintenance of American warships and warplanes at its air bases in Japan and boost defense industries in both countries.

But America isn’t Japan’s only friend in the neighborhood. On the same day that Hegseth met with Nakatani, the trade ministers of South Korea, China, and Japan held theirfirst economic dialogue since 2020 in Seoul. The three countries are seeking to strengthen their economic relationship in the face of US tariffs set to rise on “liberation day,” April 2. Their next meeting will take place in Japan.