Asia-Pacific
Gen. Brunson thanks Japan’s defense minister Koizumi for support to UNC-Rear bases in Tokyo talks
The commander of United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea met Japan’s defense minister in Tokyo on 5 November to thank Japan for hosting seven UNC-Rear bases that support the Korean armistice.
TOKYO – Gen. Xavier T. Brunson, who commands United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea, met Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo on 5 November, according to a United Nations Command account published by DVIDS on 9 November. Brunson used the courtesy call to thank Japan for its continued support to UNC-Rear and to reaffirm the U.S.-Japan Alliance.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass and Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, chief of Japan’s Joint Staff, also took part in the meeting.
Why Japan matters to the Korean armistice
UNC-Rear is headquartered at Yokota Air Base and operates from seven designated bases in Japan. According to the command, those installations give United Nations Command member states a path to move forces and supplies in support of the Korean Peninsula.
“Readiness depends on access, sustainment, and committed partners,” Brunson said, adding: “In Tokyo, I met with Minister Koizumi and thanked him for Japan’s continued support to UNC-Rear.” He also said the bases “provide the access and sustainment that help keep UNC ready to uphold the Armistice in Korea.”
What each side said
Brunson said he “reaffirmed our commitment to regional security and the U.S.-Japan Alliance,” and called himself “grateful for Minister Koizumi’s partnership.” The Japanese Ministry of Defense, the U.S. account says, stated that the two leaders confirmed the importance of further strengthening defense cooperation among allies and like-minded countries for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Tokyo meeting opened a three-day trip by Brunson to Japan that also included visits to Okinawa. The account does not describe any new agreement or announcement arising from the talks; it presents the call as a thank-you and a reaffirmation of existing arrangements.
Context
The visit comes as Washington and its allies keep the Korean Peninsula and the wider Indo-Pacific on their security agenda. Geopolitiki has also reported on other allied diplomacy this week, including Kallas in Warsaw: the EU will not implement any Ukraine deal it is not party to, ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks.
