By HAYAT NORIMINE
WASHINGTON — The US will respond with military force if allies in the Pacific region are threatened, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said on Tuesday in response to questions about Japan’s dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands.
Japan and China both claim ownership of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, located east of China and south of Japan. US officials have been on Japan’s side, stating that Article 5 of the US-Japan Defense treaty created in 1951 lists the territory under Japan’s control.
During his talk at the Council on Foreign Relations, Work discussed defense strategies toward the Asia-Pacific region.
“While the Senkakus are under Japanese control, Article 5 applies, and we would respond if there was an attempt to take the Senkakus,” Work said. He later added, “We would definitely respond militarily to certainly any engagements against our allies.”
The Pentagon official called Japan the “cornerstone of our alliances in Asia.”
Read the full story at DefenseNews