The US and Japan signed a new set of defence agreements yesterday that allow for greater co-operation between their military forces at a time of rising Chinese influence in Asia.
Part of a broader push by Japan to shed some of the restrictions of its postwar formal pacifism, the new guidelines would allow the US and Japanese militaries to work more closely together in the event of a conflict in the East China Sea or in North Korea.
For the Obama administration, the improved defence ties with Japan are an important part of its “pivot” to Asia which has also seen the US expand military co-operation with allies such as Australia and the Philippines and former enemies such as Vietnam.