The U.S. and Japan will make major upgrades to their 70-year-old military alliance, turning the U.S.' military command post into a joint forces headquarters that reports directly to the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. It comes as the security situation in the region continues to deteriorate.
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00:00The U.S. has announced a significant upgrade to its 70-year-old military alliance with
00:05Japan.
00:06Under this new arrangement, the U.S. military's command post in Japan will be revamped as
00:11a joint forces headquarters, led by a three-star general.
00:15It will report to the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii.
00:19U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement with his Japanese counterpart
00:23in Tokyo.
00:24U.S. and Japanese officials say the upgrade is meant to address the deteriorating security
00:29situation in East Asia.
00:32They cited threats coming from North Korea and China, and those countries' growing relationship
00:36with Russia.
00:37The U.S. and Japanese officials said that China's foreign policy and its military alliance
00:41are serious concerns for the region and the international community.
00:48We also shared concerns about further strategic military cooperation between Russia and China.