Sec. 1256. Sense of Senate on the United States-Japan alliance and defense cooperation
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It is the sense of the Senate that— the United States-Japan alliance remains the cornerstone of peace and security for a free and open Indo-Pacific region; although the United States Government does not take a position on sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands, the United States acknowledges that the islands are under the administration of Japan and opposes any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine their administration by Japan; the unilateral actions of a third party will not affect United States acknowledgment of the administration of Japan over the Senkaku Islands, and the United States remains committed under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security with Japan to respond to any armed attack in the territories under the administration of Japan;
Japan continues to make contributions to regional security and prosperity that make the United States safer and more prosperous; the Government of Japan has played a critical leadership role in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is a primary objective of United States national security policy, including through its efforts concerning trade, investment, energy, rule of law, and good governance; the Government of Japan has been instrumental improving cooperation between the United States, Japan, Australia, and India as well as improving relations with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; the Government of Japan has been a strong supporter of United States efforts to achieve the complete and verifiable denuclearization of North Korea, and has played a leading role in enforcing United Nations Security Council Resolution sanctions against North Korea; the Government of Japan has taken significant steps to enhance military capabilities for its own defense while increasing its contributions to collective security, including through passage of legislation concerning collective self-defense, the publication of the National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-Term Defense Program, and record investments in advanced defense capabilities in the maritime, air, space, and cyber domains; while it should continue to increase its defense spending in order to make a greater contribution to allied defense capabilities, the Government of Japan has made among the most significant burden sharing contributions of any United States ally, including through direct cost sharing, paying for the realignment of United States forces currently stationed in Okinawa, community support, and other alliance-related expenditures; upcoming negotiations concerning a new Special Measures Agreement between the United States and Japan should be conducted in a spirit consistent with prior negotiations on the basis of common interest and mutual respect; and the United States and Japan should take actions to enhance United States-Japan defense cooperation, including through increased use of combined bases for allied operations, further integration of allied command structures, consideration of the establishment of a combined joint task force, enhanced combined contingency planning for both conventional conflict and so-called gray zone incidents, and opportunities for co-development of defense equipment and technology cooperation.