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| Image: Flickr User - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |
By Yuki Tatsumi
Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano got the red-carpet treatment during his visit to the U.S.
Between July 12-19, Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano, the Japan Self-Defense Forces’ (JSDF) chief of Joint Staff, visited the United States at the official invitation of his U.S. counterpart, General Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During his stay, he visited U.S. Strategic Command (STRACTOM), Central Command (CENTCOM), Special Operation Command (SOCOM), and Camp Lejune prior his arrival in Washington DC.
Most notable, however, was Kawano’s D.C. itinerary. In addition to his meeting with General Dempsey and a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a major think tank in Washington, he also had a series of high-level meetings with other high-ranking officials, including Vice President Joseph Biden, Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work. In fact, Kawano became the first Japanese chief of Joint Staff to meet with the vice president of the United States.
Kawano’s red-carpet treatment is a reflection of Washington’s rising expectations of Japan. As the tension between the United States and China continues over Beijing’s behavior in South China Sea, the United States is increasingly turning to its allies in the Asia-Pacific to share the responsibility of preserving the existing international norms—such as freedom of navigation—in the region. In this context, the recent acceleration of the changes in Japanese security policy is perceived as an encouraging case of an American ally trying to step up to take greater responsibility as a steward of peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
Read the full story at The Diplomat