Eiichi Funada News

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to allow Tokyo to come to the aid of an ally under attack will pave the way for closer cooperation between U.S. and Japanese forces across Asia, a top U.S. commander said on Tuesday. Expanded training and joint missions could extend from Japan through the disputed South China Sea - claimed in whole or part by China, Vietnam, the Philippines and other nations - into the Indian Ocean. Neither the United States nor Japan have territorial claims in the South China Sea, but the Seventh Fleet operates in the area. A Japanese naval presence there could irritate Beijing. Abe's government plans to submit bills to parliament in coming months to ratify his cabinet's decision last year to allow Japan to exercise its right of collective self-defense.

The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) met with several key leaders within the government of Japan and its Ministry of Defense Aug. 26. Adm. Mark Ferguson is at the beginning of a series of engagements in Tokyo, at several U.S. Navy installations in Region Japan, and with neighboring local government officials this week. During this first day of the trip, Ferguson met with the Japan Minister of Defense, Itsunori Onodera, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Vice Chief of Staff, Vice Adm. Eiichi Funada.