January 23, 2022

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and U.S. President Joe Biden held a video conference on January 21, confirming that the two countries will work closely to handle issues related to China, including China's attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East and South China Seas and China's coercive economic policies. The two leaders also confirmed that they will further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance while stressing the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

PM Kishida in the virtual meeting promised to revise the country's basic diplomatic and defense policies in the "National Security Strategy", the "National Defense Program Outline", and the "Mid-Term Defense Program" in order to drastically enhance Japan's own defense capability. He furthermore explained that his government will consider all possible options, including possession of enemy-strike capability. Reportedly, President Biden expressed his support to Kishida's commitment.

A White House statement issued following the meeting said that President Biden especially welcomed Kishida's decision to increase defense spending. It cannot be overlooked that another country's leader is calling for Japan's extensive military expansion.

PM Kishida, reportedly, pointed out that a surge in COVID-19 omicron variant infections in Japan emerged from U.S. military bases in Japan. However, he did not take up the issue that U.S. military personnel when entering Japan from their bases in Japan do not go through Japan's quarantine checks thanks to the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), according to news reports.

It is unacceptable for the prime minister of Japan to turn his back on the public call for revising the SOFA so that U.S. military personnel will have to abide by Japanese immigration and quarantine rules.

The two leaders during the teleconference agreed to work together to achieve "a world without nuclear weapons" and touched on the "Japan-U.S. joint communique on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)" which was released on January 21. However, this statement mentions nothing about the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which celebrates the first year of its entry into force on January 22. In contrast, documents released jointly by the two governments following a Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee meeting (2-plus-2) on January 7 underscore "the critical importance" of "U.S. extended deterrence" with the threat of use of nuclear weapons. Endorsing the documents, both Kishida and Biden are holding fast to the "nuclear umbrella" setup.

Past related article:
> Japan and US in 2-plus-2 talks turn their back on peaceful resolution of conflicts [January 8, 2022]
> Japan gov't under Japan-US alliance still insists that omicron infections are not spreading from US bases [January 6, 7, & 9, 2022]