Upon arriving in Tokyo on Friday, new U.S. Ambassador George Glass emphasised the need for the United States and Japan to align their defence forces in response to China’s growing assertiveness.
“We sit with Japan in a very tough neighbourhood. You have Russia, you have China, and you have North Korea,” Glass told reporters at Haneda airport, adding the allies needed to “push back against a country like China”.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the remarks.
US Troops In Japan
Japan is home to the biggest overseas deployment of U.S. troops globally, as well as squadrons of fighter jets and Washington’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier strike group.
In recent years, Tokyo has also embarked on a historic military build-up and begun various projects with Washington to better align their forces and defence industries.
Trump’s equivocation over support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and complaints about the cost of defence alliances have stoked concern about the U.S. commitment to its security partnerships globally, however.
Glass said Washington was focused on the safety of American and Japanese citizens and on making sure the military had all the support and materials it needed to counter threats from Beijing.
Asked about Glass’s comments, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said diplomats should promote friendship between countries rather than smear them and asserted that China has been a force for international peace.
“Who is flaunting military force, provoking confrontation and threatening peace everywhere?” he said at a regular press briefing. “The international community has never been clearer about this.”
Trump Taps China Hawk
Trump hand-picked Glass partly due to his success in pushing back against China’s “predatory habits” during his previous post as envoy to Portugal from 2017-2021, he said.
At his confirmation hearing in March, Glass said he would, however, need to push Japan to pay more towards the cost of U.S. military support.
Trump wants negotiations on these costs to be included in ongoing trade talks triggered by his sweeping import tariffs on dozens of countries, including Japan. Tokyo wants to keep the issues separate.
Glass said he was “extremely optimistic” that the U.S. would strike a deal with Japan. More than 75 countries have reached out for talks since the administration unveiled the tariffs earlier this month, Washington says.
(With inputs from Reuters)
