JAPAN: US-Japan Summit Will Be "Historic"

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, speaking at virtual event on AUKUS, has stated that a 'historic' US-Japan summit next week will allow the two countries to, "work more collaboratively on joint development and potentially [on the] co-production of military and defence equipment."

• Campbell says the summit will be "historic" for the "updating" of the US-Japan security partnership: "The US-Japan is entering a fundamentally new phase that will both bring new capabilities to bear, but will also put clear responsibilities ... to change the way we operate and how Japan engages with us."
• Campbell's comments come ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's upcoming White House Official Visit on April 10 where Japan's potential incorporation into select phases of the AUKUS defensive alliance is expected to be discussed. Kishida will also deliver an joint address to Congress on April 11 and visit the site of prospective Toyota EV battery plant in North Carolina.
• Japan Times reported last month: "Japan’s involvement in the [AUKUS] partnership would be limited to specific projects, excluding nuclear-powered submarines under the first pillar of the trilateral agreement, with the aim of boosting multilateral cooperation toward deterring China..."
• VOA notes: "Japan intends to increase its annual defense spending to 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP), up from the traditional 1%, by 2027. This will likely give Japan the world's third-largest military budget, behind the United States and China."