TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The U.S.-Japan defense cooperation plan will pave the way for the two countries to deepen their partnership and uphold the international order, political pundit Joel Fukuzawa (福澤橋) said on Monday (April 15).

The plan, announced on April 10, covers military command, joint defense equipment development, upgrading national defense communication networks, and joint missile development and production, Fukuzawa said in an RTI interview. From now on, Japan is following in the footsteps of the U.S. in terms of militarization, he said. 

Japan plans to increase its defense budget to two percent of GDP in Japan Fiscal Year 2027 in accordance with Japan’s National Security Strategy and will work towards its goal of possessing counterstrike capabilities, according to a U.S.-Japan joint statement. It also will set up the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Joint Operations Command to enhance command and control of the JSDF.

To address China's military threat to Asian security, Japan sees the U.S. as the leader of the alliance, Fukuzawa said. In the future, military actions will surpass the boundaries set by domestic laws and regulations, he predicted. 

Weapons can also be exported to allied countries, including Taiwan, he said. From Taiwan's perspective, it is foreseeable that defense and economic interests will become aligned.

Fukuzawa’s comments come two days after the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines welcomed a new cooperation agreement at a trilateral summit on April 13. At a press conference the same day, Philippine President Bong Bong Marcos emphasized that the deal did not target any country and instead covered economic and security ties between the three nations.

However, he said, "It is going to change the dynamic, the dynamic that we see in the region, in ASEAN in Asia, around the South China Sea.”

The three nations also reiterated the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait and said their positions on Taiwan have not changed in a joint statement. Peace is “an indispensable element of global security and prosperity,” they said. They also called for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.