Japan’s military is trying to get its air, ground and maritime forces to operate in a more joint manner to improve their ability to perform their missions, a key official said Sept. 15.
“Instead of having each of them in a silo system, we are changing it into a more unified body,” Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said through an interpreter at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. “I believe that is a quite important movement.”
Inada, who was appointed defense minister in August, called herself a long-time “staunch advocate” of the U.S.-Japan alliance, and she heralded the 2015 U.S.-Japan defense guidelines, which promote seamless and robust cooperation between the two countries. She was scheduled to meet with Defense Secretary Ash Carter at the Pentagon later in the day.
Inada joined in the worldwide criticism of North Korea’s recent ballistic missile and nuclear weapon tests. To help counter such threats, the United States and Japan are developing a longer-range version of the Standard Missile-3 interceptor.
Inada also expressed concern about China’s increased assertiveness in the East China Sea and South China Sea. She said Japan plans to increase its activity in the South China Sea by holding joint training cruises with the U.S. Navy, conducting exercises with regional navies, and building the capacity of coastal nations.