Interim Report on the Revision of the U.S.- Japan Guidelines for Defense Cooperation

The United States and Japan today jointly released the Interim Report of the ongoing revision of the U.S.- Japan Guidelines for Defense Cooperation. The revised Guidelines, which are expected to be finalized by the end of the year, will establish an expanded and more flexible framework for Alliance cooperation to ensure the peace and security of Japan under any circumstances, from peacetime to contingencies, and to promote a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Asia-Pacific and beyond.

The bilateral Alliance between the United States and Japan is the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region as well as a platform for global cooperation. Founded on an unwavering commitment to Japan’s security, security cooperation between the United States and Japan today is taking place globally and now encompasses virtually every aspect of defense policy and operations.

A dynamic world demands a dynamic Alliance -- the revised Guidelines will be modernized to meet the security challenges of the coming decades. Through this new framework, the U.S.-Japan Alliance will become more balanced and more effective.

Over the last several months, the United States and Japan have been discussing appropriate roles and missions of the two countries. Based on this revision, both sides have reached a shared recognition on the importance of the following:

• seamless and effective whole-of-government Alliance coordination;
• taking measures to prevent the deterioration of Japan’s security;
• enhancing bilateral cooperation to generate a more peaceful and stable international security environment;
• cooperation in space and cyberspace in an Alliance context; and
• mutual support in a timely and effective manner.

In addition to ensuring the ironclad defense of Japan, the revised Guidelines will also better enable both countries to work with key partners outside of the region on important issues of shared interest such as humanitarian assistance and capacity building. Both the United States and Japan place a high priority on working together with our friends and allies to promote peace in the region. To that end, the United States and Japan will make efforts to promote understanding of the revision both domestically and internationally.

During the first term of the Obama Administration, we laid out our vision for the Asia-Pacific rebalance, and we are implementing that vision by dedicating more resources to the region in a way that is commensurate with the truly comprehensive nature of our bilateral engagement. The strengthening of our alliance with Japan is a concrete example of this policy in action.