Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the United States last week was a success. He made Japan's case on security, trade and diplomacy, becoming the first Japanese leader ever to address a joint session of Congress. And in English, no less.
The two countries signed new defense guidelines that Washington has long sought that would allow Japan to take a more active role in its security, to include helping US forces even if Japan isn't under attack. Until recently, Japan's view of self-defense did not allow such cooperation short of a direct attack on the country.
Since taking office, Abe has argued that in the face of rising threats, Japan must take a more proactive security role, and that includes fighting alongside allies that come to Tokyo's aid in a crisis.
Abe wants the Diet to quickly endorse the changes, but key political parties are hesitant, despite their importance to maintaining stability in a region where Japan faces threats from three nuclear-armed neighbors — China, Russia and North Korea. Looming particularly large is China, which claims most of the South and East China seas and has raised tensions over the Senkaku Islands claimed by Beijing but long administered by Tokyo.
Moreover, while Japan has cutting-edge weapons, its air, land and sea forces lack the cohesive integration needed for modern warfare, relying on voice, not data links, to coordinate operations. This integration is vital before Japan and America can join their forces and create the same degree of seamless integration long enjoyed by the US and South Korea.
Such integration maximizes firepower when facing a bigger, more populous adversary. Moreover, it is vital to not only defend the territorial, trade and security interests of Japan and the US, but to deter miscalculation or aggression by Tokyo's less-than-friendly neighbors.
