Initial Disclosure Date: Jan 22, 2013

On January 17, Japanese and U.S. government officials in the defense and foreign affairs field started discussing how to revise bilateral guidelines on defense cooperation at the Ministry of Defense. Tokyo and Washington first launched the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation in 1978 in the middle of the Cold War. In 1997, the two governments revised the guidelines to allow the Self-Defense Forces to support in contingency, having a crisis on the Korean Peninsula in mind. This prompted the Japanese government to establish legislation for contingency.

This time, the revision will focus on how to deal with increasingly assertive China especially in terms of territorial waters. Also, the two governments will discuss how to address North Korea’s long range ballistic missiles, large-scale natural disasters, and emerging threats in cyberspace and space.

In September 2012, the Ministry of Defense released its first guideline to counter cyber-attacks. The ministry regards cyberspace as one of operational domains just like air, land, maritime, and space, agreeing with the Department of Defense. In this document, the ministry claims, “We need to judge which act can be use of force on a case-by-case basis, but if any cyber-attack is done as part of use of force, this would satisfy the prerequisite to invoke the right of self-defense.” Thus, Tokyo and Washington will need to consult about the definition of “use of force” in cyberspace to revise the guidelines for defense cooperation.

Sources:

• The Ministry of Defense, “Boei-sho Jieitai niyoru saiba kukan no anteiteki kokateki na riyo ni mukete [Toward the safe and effective utilization of cyberspace by the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces],” September 2012,
  http://www.mod.go.jp/j/approach/others/security/cyber_security_sisin.html
• Nihon Keizai Shimbun, “Nichibei, gaidorain minaoshi ni chakushu kacho-kyu kyogi wo kaisai [Tokyo and Washington held a working-level meeting to start revising the Guidelines for Defense Cooperation],” January 17, 2013,
  http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFS1700C_X10C13A1EB1000/
• Kyodo, “Talks start with U.S. on new defense plan --- Greater SDF role sought as China grows more assertive,” January 18, 2013,
  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20130118a7.html
• Sankei Shimbun, “Nichibei boeikyoryoku gaidorain saikaitei ‘tai Chugoku’ nento, jieitai no yakuwari kakudai ga shoten [Tokyo and Washington to re-revise the guidelines for defense cooperation to ‘counter China’ and increase the role of the Self-Defense Forces],” January 18, 2013,
  http://sankei.jp.msn.com/politics/news/130118/plc13011808150010-n1.htm