The U.S.’s best friend in the region seems willing to do more, and should.
Joe Biden chose Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as his first official guest for a reason: Japan is the closest U.S. ally in the world’s most important region. Both nations hope to preserve the current order in Asia and contend with China’s rise. In this, they have work to do — and they’re likelier to succeed if they combine their efforts. The linchpin to any successful U.S. strategy in Asia has long been Japan. The Pentagon has more troops deployed there — roughly 55,000 — than anywhere else in the world. Japan is the top holder of U.S. Treasuries, America’s largest source of foreign direct investment and its fourth-largest trading partner. Japanese companies are key players in critical technology supply chains. Along with fellow Quad members India and Australia, Japan will be central to U.S. efforts to check China’s regional ambitions. Starting under Suga’s predecessor Shinzo Abe, Japan has also become an irreplaceable bridge between the U.S. and other Asian nations. The Quad itself was Abe’s idea, as was the “ free and open Indo-Pacific ” concept that the U.S. has now embraced. For many countries in Southeast Asia, Japan is more trusted as a trade and security partner than the U.S. — and certainly more so than China. While many governments in the region are reluctant to be seen as siding with Washington, they openly welcome Japanese cooperation on defense issues.
