After all, the allies face mounting challenges from three nuclear-armed adversaries: China, Russia, and North Korea. It might seem obvious that Japan and the United States should be preparing to fight a war in the Indo-Pacific region. In short, the U.S.-Japan alliance is shifting to a war footing. As Japan’s new National Security Strategy warns: “The possibility cannot be precluded that a serious situation may arise in the future in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in East Asia.” Yesterday, alliance leaders announced a set of defense posture changes, updated command relationships, and new training arrangements. For the first time in decades, Tokyo and Washington are seriously preparing for the possibility of a major conflict in the near term. This week’s events are the latest in this trend, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Washington marks a significant change in the U.S.-Japan alliance. Throughout the Cold War, the United States and Japan focused on the threat from the Soviet Union, but with tensions increasing around Taiwan, Tokyo has turned to its south, adopting principles that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushed for before his death.
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