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The US and Japan, which recently strengthened their alliance into a “global” framework, are now planning to request a trilateral defense ministers‘ meeting with South Korea at May’s Asian Security Summit (Shangri-La Dialogue) in Singapore.

With this, Seoul is now finding itself rapidly drawn into the US-Japan alliance’s strategic decision to present a military counterweight against a rising China and preserve the current order.

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani held a meeting in Washington on Apr. 28 where they agreed to call on South Korea to participate in a trilateral meeting of defense ministers in the near future to respond to the North Korean nuclear and missile issues.

“North Korea’s continued development of a nuclear weapon and [ballistic] missiles poses a threat to Japan,” Nakatani said in a Q&A session with the Japanese press after the meeting.

“We [Nakatani and Carter] were in agreement on building on the close solidarity of Japan, the US, and South Korea by developing cooperation among the three countries,” he added.

Nakatani went on to explain that while the three countries had signed a trilateral sharing agreement late last year for intelligence on the North Korean nuclear and missile threats, he and Carter also “see it as important to strengthen Japan-US-South Korea defense cooperation as well, and agreed to push for a trilateral defense ministers‘ meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue next month.”

When asked who had suggested the trilateral meeting, Nakatani said he had “received [Carter’s] understanding and support for my proposal.”

Previously, Nakatani had made comments on Apr. 10 remarking on the “significance of holding a meeting of the South Korean and Japanese defense ministers in the near future to share candid opinions” and pledging “efforts to make the meeting happen.” Now he appears to have decided to take advantage of his US visit alongside Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the revision of the US-Japan defense guidelines to make an offer that South Korea seemingly couldn’t refuse: a trilateral framework.

To date, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense has not agreed to any bilateral talks with Japan, but it has reportedly expressed the position that would be amenable to a trilateral meeting with the US.

Japan’s Nikkei newspaper previously said on Apr. 12 that Tokyo’s priority to was to sign an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement (ACSA) allowing exchange (support) of weapons and fuel between the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and the South Korean military.

“The US and Japan and planning to use the revised guidelines as leverage to intensify defense cooperation with South Korea,” the newspaper observed.

Tokyo’s view is that such an agreement would be the only way to beef up trilateral military cooperation, allowing the JSDF to offer “rear-area support” not just to the US but to South Korean forces as well.

The revised guidelines released by the US and Japan on Apr. 27 state plans to “promote and improve trilateral and multilateral security and defense cooperation.”

“In particular, the two governments will reinforce efforts and seek additional opportunities to cooperate with regional and other partners,” they continue. The “regional and other partners” in this case is a reference to South Korea and Australia, among others. It’s a passage that makes clear Washington and Tokyo’s plans to expand their stronger alliance to a trilateral or multilateral framework involving Seoul.

Speaking in an interview with Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper on Apr. 29, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Shear said, “It is important to the United States that our ROK allies recognize the Guidelines’ potential to enhance regional security for all nations of the Asia-Pacific.”

“Under the new Guidelines, if the ROK were to request contingency assistance from Japan or from U.S. forces in Japan, they would be able to respond rapidly and efficiently,” he explained.

But Shear didn’t mention whether the “rapid and efficient response” would include JSDF landings on the Korean Peninsula, or the fact that the person requesting “contingency assistance” would be the USFK Commander rather than the South Korean President.

By Gil Yun-hyung, Tokyo correspondent

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