US denies inviting Japan to join AUKUS to form JAUKUS

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki – Photo: REUTERS

According to Reuters news agency on April 14, the White House representative called the information AUKUS inviting Japan to join is “incorrect”. Previously, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, denied that Tokyo had received an offer to join AUKUS.

“Our focus is on perfecting a tripartite program of cooperation in modernizing defense capabilities, thereby contributing to aligning our priorities, magnifying common strength, accelerating development and achieve a leading position in defense. It’s not a JAUKUS plan,” Psaki explained.

Before that, the sheet Sankei Shimbun of Japan, citing private sources, revealed that the AUKUS mechanism is based on the abbreviations of the English names of three countries, Australia (Australia), the UK (UK) and the US (US) that can become JAUKUS if Japan (Japan) joins. .

According to Sankei ShimbunJapan’s ruling elite is said to have split over the proposal to join AUKUS.

Some lawmakers favor strengthening ties with the US-led alliance in the face of China’s growing military power. However, other officials cast doubt on the viability of JAUKUS given that Japan already has cooperative relationships with the UK, Australia and the US.

F-2 fighter jets of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force participate in an exercise with the US aircraft carrier group USS Abraham Lincoln on April 13 – Photo: JASDF

The rapid response of the US and its allies to rumors about Japan’s call to join AUKUS is attributed to a number of recent responses from China.

This security mechanism was established in September 2021, with the initial purpose of supplying nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.

On April 5, 2022, the leaders of three AUKUS countries announced that they would promoting the production and testing plans of strategic hypersonic weapons, hypersonic anti-missile weapons, electronic warfare systems for the purpose of deterring China in the region.

“This move will not only increase the risk of nuclear proliferation and break nuclear non-proliferation treaties. Even these agreements will promote an arms race to the detriment of the economy. peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region”, Global Times quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian reacting on April 6.

China has opposed AUKUS since its early days, saying it would disrupt stability in the region and encourage countries to participate in arms races.

China’s military analyst Wei Dongxu said that if Japan agrees to join the AUKUS alliance, the US will likely deploy detection, surveillance and tracking systems from key locations in Europe. Asia-Pacific such as Australia and Japan.

In the long run, this will aid defense against potential hypersonic missile attacks from China.