Page 202 - Trilateral Korea Japan U.S. Cooperation

to deter North Korea and to dissuade China from pursuing
its ambitions; strengthening cooperation and coordination
among the three is also essential.

Between Japan and the United States, a deepening of
cooperation and capacity building as well as the institutional
upgrading of the alliance is taking place. The U.S.-Japan
Security Consultative Committee (2+2) meeting on January
11, 2023, and the U.S.-Japan Summit two days later, were
aimed at ensuring that the U.S.-Japan alliance remains the
cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-
Pacific region. The leaders welcomed the release of their
respective National Security and National Defense Strategies
which ensured that their vision priorities and goals were more
aligned than ever before. These actions affirmed the immediate
steps to be taken on U.S.-Japan defense cooperation that were
compatible with the strategy documents.

The 2+2 joint announcement also states that Japan reaffirmed
its determination to expand its role in proactively conducting
its own defense and actively engaging in maintaining regional
peace and stability in cooperation with the United States and
other partners. The ultimate implication is that the Japan-U.S.
alliance will effectively strengthen the system to deter the armed
unification of Taiwan by China by strengthening Japan’s ability
to defend itself, thereby enabling the U.S. to defend Taiwan
more effectively, and by promoting multilayered cooperation
with like-minded countries and others.

With regard to a possible contingency on the Korean
Peninsula, bases used by U.S. forces would serve as bases for

202 Section III : South Korea-Japan-U.S. Cooperation: How to Deter Pyongyang and Dissuade Beijing