By Li Hai
李海
A series of bilateral and multilateral meetings were held in Tokyo, Japan on July 28 and 29, including the US-Japan foreign and defense ministers' meeting ("2+2" meeting), US-Japan-ROK trilateral defense ministers' meeting, Japan-ROK defense ministers' meeting, and US-Japan-India-Australia quadrilateral meeting (QUAD), all centered on "upgrading" the US-Japan alliance and enhancing the military ties with other regional countries. Analysts said the meetings were aimed at instigating bloc confrontation and would seriously sabotage regional peace and stability.
7月28日至29日，美日外长防长“2+2”会议以及美日韩三边防长会谈、日韩防长会谈、美日印澳四边机制外长会议等一系列双边多边会议，在日本东京密集举行。美日“升级”同盟关系，强化与地区其他国家间的军事关系，是贯穿其中的重要内容。分析称，上述举动旨在挑动阵营对立，将严重破坏地区和平稳定。
US, Japan accelerate military integration
美日加快军事一体化
It was confirmed at the "2+2" meeting that US Forces Japan (USFJ) will be reconstituted into a Joint Force Headquarters as the opposite number to Japan's establishment of the JSDF Joint Operations Command (JJOC). In the meantime, the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) will delegate part of the combat command to USFJ and promote the latter's commander from the rank of lieutenant general to general in order to better align the US and Japanese commanding systems. The Joint Force Headquarters will flatten USFJ's combat command system and have greater power in bilateral joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, and coordination of war operations and supplies, thereby facilitating the American and Japanese troops' rapid response.
美日“2+2”会议确认，调整日本自卫队和驻日美军指挥框架，驻日美军将设立“统合军司令部”，作为日本“统合作战司令部”的“对口单位”。美军印太司令部将向驻日美军下放部分作战指挥权，并将驻日美军司令由中将升格为上将，以实现美日指挥体系的对接融合。设立“统合军司令部”，将使驻日美军作战指挥体制更加扁平化，在美日联合军演、情报共享、作战与物资协调等方面拥有更大权限，有利于美日两国部队的快速反应。
The US is obviously taking the opportunity to tighten its military grip over Japan and tie it closer on its war chariot as a pawn to contain and suppress America's rivals. For Japan, the upcoming JJOC will significantly enhance the JSDF's joint combat and attack capability, paving the way for it to break free from the "post-war military restrictions" imposed upon the country.
可见，美国正借机强化对日本的军事控制，将其进一步捆绑在美国战车上，充当美国围堵打压竞争对手的一枚“棋子”。对日本而言，即将成立的“统合作战司令部”，将显著提升自卫队联合作战和进攻能力，为其在军事上冲破“战后体制”束缚奠定基础
US pushes forward its nuclear deployments
美核力量部署前沿化
On the very day of the "2+2" meeting, the US and Japan also held a ministers' meeting on "extended deterrence", which was called by US Defense Secretary Austin as the core of the bilateral alliance. The meeting confirmed that with Japan's support, the US will reinforce its commitment of "extended deterrence" to Japan to curb any rival's possible nuclear attack on the country.
美日“2+2”会议当天，两国还首次举行“延伸威慑”部长级磋商，确认在日本防卫能力支持下，美国将进一步强化对日本“延伸威慑”的承诺，以遏止对手可能对日本进行的核打击。奥斯汀称：“延伸威慑是美日同盟的核心。”
American critics said this move sends the message that the US has a strong wish to protect Japan by using all sorts of means including nuclear weapons, and highlights the two countries' close collaboration to enhance their deterrence and response capability. Despite its advocacy for a "nuclear-free world", Japan has never stopped its maneuvers to possess nuclear weapons. The US and Japan began working consultations on "extended deterrence" in 2010, incorporated it in the "2+2" meeting in 2023, and now they set up a separate ministerial framework for the subject.
美国舆论普遍认为，此举对外传递的信息是，美国有强烈意愿使用包括核武器在内的力量保护日本，展示美日同盟围绕提高威慑与应对能力的紧密合作。尽管日本主张建立“无核化世界”，但其有关“拥核”的动作从未停止过。围绕“延伸威慑”，美日自2010年起开始进行工作级别磋商，2023年度“2+2”会谈也将其作为议题，今年更是首次建立独立部长级框架。
The latest meeting made it clear that the Japanese government is eager to enjoy America's "nuclear protection". With its growing nuclear reliance on Washington, the latter may very well deploy its nuclear forces on Japan, which will turn Tokyo's fancy talks about a "nuclear-free" world and nuclear disarmament into a joke, and put the country at a greater stake of being embroiled into a nuclear war.
然而，此次会议表明，日本政府其实非常希望分享美国的“核保护伞”。随着日本增强对美国的“核依赖”，美国的核力量很可能更多部署到日本本土，使日本的“无核化”和核裁军等倡议流于空谈，日本本土卷入核战争的风险也随之增大。
"US-Japan Plus" mechanisms become more institutionalized
“美日+”愈发制度化
The US-Japan-ROK trilateral defense ministers' meeting held in Japan on July 28 for the first time is regarded as being equally important as the US-Japan "2+2" meeting. The "security cooperation framework agreement" signed by the three defense ministers is the first document that outlines the basic direction and policy of security cooperation among the three countries.
7月28日首次在日本举行的美日韩三边防长会谈，被视为与美日“2+2”会议几乎同样重要的另一场会谈。3国防长签署“安全合作框架协议”，这是首个为3国提出安全合作基本方向和政策指南的文件。
Both meetings were playing the old tune of opposing any unilateral change to the status quo, a statement that, while being highly targeted, revealed the three countries’ strategic anxieties and calculations. With Trump's overwhelming comeback, the Biden administration is eager to showcase its global leadership and the cohesion of allies and partners to up the odds for Democrats in the election. Japan and ROK, on the other hand, hope to consolidate the alliance with Washington to hedge against the "Trump risk".
美日“2+2”会议及美日韩三边防长会谈，依然老调重弹“反对单方面改变现状”，表现出鲜明的指向性，同时也难掩3国的战略焦虑和盘算。面对特朗普卷土重来的强大势头，美国拜登政府急于通过拉紧同盟体系，显示美国“全球领导力”和“盟伴向心力”，增厚民主党选战资本。日韩两国则希望通过固化对美同盟合作，对冲“特朗普风险”。
After the meetings in Tokyo, Austin and his men continued to the Philippines to, based on its alliance with Japan, coax more regional allies and partners to follow and assist in NATO's Asian Pacific expansion. It's clear that the trip to Tokyo is the highlight of the US officials' Asian journey to steady the allies and consolidate the "US-Japan Plus" architecture. As the US and Japan elevate their military integration, speed up the forward deployment of nuclear forces through "extended deterrence", and enhance the minilateral collaboration with the ROK, the Philippines and Australia, regional bloc confrontation will become more intense.
在东京结束会谈后，奥斯汀等人又前往菲律宾，继续以美日同盟为依托，诱使地区盟友追随其“亚太北约化”布局。可见，美国高官此次行程中，东京之行实为美国与其盟友串联互动的“重头戏”，反映出“美日+”框架的进一步布局。美日升级军事一体化水平，通过“延伸威慑”加快核力量前沿部署，同时深化美日韩、美日菲、美日澳等小多边合作，将进一步加剧地区阵营对抗。
