U.S. Commits To Defending Japanese Islands That Are In Dispute With China

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter inspect an honor guard at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo. REUTERS

Reuters: U.S.-Japan defense guidelines to specify islands' defense: newspaper

(Reuters) - Japan and the United States will likely include an explicit reference to defence of far-flung Japanese islands in an update of security cooperation guidelines amid concerns about China's increasing military assertivness, a Japanese newspaper reported.

The daily Yomiuri Shimbun said on Tuesday that Japan had requested the revision include a clear commitment by U.S. forces in the event of an attack on Japanese islands. Tokyo is locked in a long-running dispute with Beijing over islets in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

The allies are expected to announce agreement over the revised guidelines later this month. U.S. President Barack Obama is due to meet Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Washington on April 28 for a summit.

Update: Japan-U.S. defense guidelines to cover remote islands -- Japan News/The Yomiuri Shimbun

WNU Editor: With China forcefully asserting its maritime claims,  the U.S. had to respond to reassure its allies. My only surprise is that it took this long.