Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan and the United States held a bilateral Extended Deterrence Dialogue (EDD) at King’s Bay Naval Base in Georgia from June 21 to 22.

During the EDD, Japan and the United States shared assessments of the regional security environment, and the US side provided a briefing on the current state of US nuclear capabilities, including the posture and modernization program of its nuclear triad. 

The two sides held in-depth discussions on extended deterrence and how arms control, nonproliferation, conventional forces and missile defense contribute to integrated deterrence as well as to credible and resilient extended deterrence.  

The Japanese side was co-chaired by Masaaki Kanai, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Ministry’s North American Affairs Bureau, and Taro Yamato, Deputy Director-General of the Defense Policy Bureau in Japan’s Ministry of Defense.

The US side was co-chaired by Alexandra Bell, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Arms Control, and Richard Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy in the Department of Defense. 

As part of the EDD, the delegations visited the Ohio-class submarine USS Maryland.  

The EDD, established in 2010, provides Tokyo and Washington with a regularized process to discuss ways to sustain and strengthen extended deterrence.