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Reuters

The United States and Japan need to work together to align their defence forces in the face of an increasingly assertive China, new US Ambassador George Glass said upon his arrival in Tokyo on Friday.
“We sit with Japan in a very tough neighbourhood. You have Russia, you have China, and you have North Korea,” Glass told reporters at Haneda airport, adding the allies needed to “push back against a country like China”.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the remarks.
Japan is home to the biggest overseas deployment of US troops globally as well as squadrons of fighter jets and Washington’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier strike group.
In recent years, Tokyo has also embarked on a historic military build-up and begun various projects with Washington to better align their forces and defence industries.
Trump’s equivocation over support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and complaints about the cost of defence alliances has stoked concern about US commitment to its security partnerships globally, however.


Glass said Washington was focused on the safety of American and Japanese citizens and in making sure the military had all the support and materials it needs to counter threats from Beijing.
Trump hand-picked him partly due to his success in pushing back against China’s “predatory habits” during his previous post as envoy to Portugal from 2017-2021, he said.
At his confirmation hearing in March, Glass said he would, however, need to push Japan to pay more towards the cost of US military support.
Trump wants negotiations on these costs to be included in ongoing trade talks triggered by his sweeping import tariffs on dozens of countries including Japan. Tokyo wants to keep the issues separate.
Glass said he was “extremely optimistic” that the US would strike a deal with Japan. More than 75 countries have reached out for talks since the administration unveiled the tariffs earlier this month, Washington said.


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US envoy George Glass and his wife Mary are welcomed by Joseph Young, acting deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Tokyo, upon their arrival at Haneda airport on Friday. Photo: Reuters

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Tokyo city skyline. A new survey found Japan’s consistent diplomacy made it the most trusted power in Southeast Asia, enhancing stability amid global conflicts and US-China tensions. Photo: Shutterstock

Pedestrians walk down the high-street shopping area of the Ginza district in central Tokyo. Trust in Japan among Southeast Asian states has increased. Photo: AFP

The city skyline of Tokyo. Amid global tensions, Japan’s “diplomatic consistency” has cemented its role as a trusted partner in Southeast Asia. Photo: Shutterstock

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A Chinese coastguard vessel sails near a Japanese coastguard vessel off Uotsuri Island, one of a group of disputed islands called the Senkakus in Japan, also known in China as the Diaoyus, in the East China Sea in April 2024. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

The disputed Diaoyu Islands, also known as Senkaku in Japan, in the East China Sea. Photo: Reuters/Kyodo

Japanese coastguard patrol boats approach a Chinese fishing boat (left) off the northeastern coast of Miyako island, about 200km southwest of the disputed Diaoyu Islands in 2013. Photo: AP/Japan coastguard 11th Regional Headquarters

News

Asia

East Asia

George Glass also said he was ‘extremely optimistic’ that Washington would strike a deal on tariffs with Tokyo


George Glass also said he was ‘extremely optimistic’ that Washington would strike a deal on tariffs with Tokyo.


China-Japan relations

US-Japan relations

US-China relations

US-China relations: the Asian angle