U.S. and Japan agree to step up security cooperation

The United States and Japan on Wednesday announced stepped-up security cooperation in the face of shared worries about China, and Washington strongly
endorsed a major military buildup Tokyo announced last month.
“We agree that the PRC is the greatest shared strategic challenge that we and our allies and partners face,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after the and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met their Japanese counterparts in Washington, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
At the same news conference, Austin announced plans to introduce a Marine Littoral Regiment in Japan, which would bring significant capabilities, including anti-ship missiles.
Blinken also said that two sides had agreed to extend the terms of their common defense treaty to cover space.
Austin is to meet Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada again on Thursday at the Pentagon; afterward there will be a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday