US, Japan to Expand Presence Near China: Pentagon

Both allies will increase their presence in Japan’s southwestern islands, where Japan reported unprecedented breaches by the China.

Naval ships of the Philippines, United States, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand take part in joint exercises in the South China Sea on Sept. 29, 2024. Armed Forces of the Philippines via Reuters/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke by phone with Japan’s new minister of defense, Nakatani Gen, for the first time on Oct. 8, with both nations agreeing to expand their military presence around China amid increasing aggression from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

According to Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the alliance has made historic progress. Indeed, Japan is emerging as a key ally in peacekeeping in the Indo-Pacific and as a trade partner that has heeded U.S. calls to counter the CCP’s predatory trade practices.