MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2022) US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday called Japan's new security strategy "momentous" and pledged bicameral support within the United States for Tokyo's plans to boost its defense capabilities.
"No country has seen such a strong, unified show of support from Congress, the White House, and the administration as Japan has for its new defense policy," Emanuel was quoted by Japanese Kyodo news agency as saying.
The diplomat also said that Japan's new strategic policy "very much aligned with our vision," and that the United States would cooperate with Japan in building counterstrike capabilities.
Emanuel added that Washington would support Japan in such areas as self-defense, cybersecurity, counterstrike capability, as well as assist in ensuring that the Japanese Coast Guard is able to "defend the Senkaku Islands and ward off the constant harassment by China's Navy," as quoted by the news agency.
The new document called the National Security Strategy describes the overall security environment around Japan as "most severe and complicated" since the second world war.
North Korea is described in the new defense strategy as a "graver, more imminent threat than before," China as "the greatest strategic challenge," and Russia as a "serious security concern" due to its "strategic collaboration with China" and conflict in Ukraine.
Japan needs to spend 43 trillion Yen ($315 billion) in the five-year period to 2027 in order to achieve the NATO-standard 2% of GDP spending from its current 1.2% of GDP, under the new Defense Capability Enhancement Plan.
The Asian nation has steadily stepped up its international defense role and military spending over the past decade. Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that defense spending would be 8.9 trillion yen ($65 billion) in the 2027 fiscal year.
