Japan Army Chief’s Visit Underscores ‘Critical Importance’ of Defense Cooperation with US

The relationship is a key part of U.S. foreign policy as a line of defense against Chinese military expansion in the Pacific.

(L to R) Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Gen. Yasunori Morishita, U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, and Joint Task Force–National Capital Region and U.S. Army Military District of Washington Commanding General Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp walk through the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, on Feb. 27, 2025. Elizabeth Fraser/U.S. Army

News Analysis

Japan’s army chief visited the United States last week and met with his U.S. counterpart, just months after the U.S. military expressed interest in placing units of its long-range missile task force in the Asian nation. Japan’s ministry of defense said the visit highlighted “the critical importance of defense cooperation” between the two nations.

Gen. Yasunori Morishita, chief of staff of Japan’s ground self-defense forces, met with Gen. Randy George, chief of staff of the U.S. Army, during the visit, which extended from Feb. 21 to 28.

Japan’s defense ministry shared images from the visit on social media platform X on March 1.

The photos depict Morishita meeting with George and interacting with soldiers in battle fatigues near two ground-based missile launchers, outside a large hangar-like structure.

The defense ministry later commented that during the visit, the two sides “exchanged strategic insights on the evolving security landscape in the Indo-Pacific region” while “underscoring” the need for the armed forces of the United States and Japan to work together to deepen bilateral ties and fortify their strategic alliance.

Significance

The visit and subsequent messaging were significant, because they came six months after the U.S. military expressed interest in placing units of its Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) in Japan.

The MDTF is a multi-pronged army division made up of I2CEW (intelligence, information operations, cyberspace, electronic warfare, and space operations), an air defense battalion, a brigade support battalion, and a strategic fires battalion.

The task force is the Army’s self-described “organizational centerpiece” of its effort to address the threat to U.S. security posed by China.

It hosts High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, and Mid-Range Capability missile systems.

Japan is part of the first island chain, a series of islands including Taiwan and the Philippines that forms a key part of U.S. foreign policy as a line of defense against Chinese military expansion in the Pacific.

Countering Chinese Aggression in the Pacific

Christine Wormuth, Secretary of the Army under the Biden administration, alluded to the MDTF at a defense conference in September 2024.

“I had a great visit to Japan, a great discussion with [Defense Minister] Kihara,” Wormuth said. “You know, I think we'd be very interested, obviously, in seeing ... the Multi-Domain Task Force ... operate out of Japan,” she told a journalist, noting that the installation process was dependent on the Japanese government.

She said that the logistics of the potential installations had been considered as well: “When you look at the MDTF, when you look at the ... composite watercraft company, you know, I think there’s a lot of potential to be able to move equipment, move soldiers around into the Southwest Islands.”

The composite watercraft company is equipped to transport equipment and military personnel using small vessels, particularly in areas that larger ships might not be able to traverse easily. Wormuth’s statement highlighted the potential for rapid troop movement in an area known as a flashpoint in U.S.–China relations due to its proximity to Taiwan.

Wormuth’s observations came three months after the U.S. Army Pacific reported on its website that it had deployed teams of soldiers across the Pacific region, including Japan, Guam, and Palau, tasked with “range sensing, long-range communication, effects, and fires to contribute to accomplishing training objectives.”

While the website referred to the 3rd MDTF (3MDTF) all-domain operations center on Oahu and a battalion command post in Japan, it made no mention of deploying missiles to the island nation.

Strategic Deployment in the Philippines

On Jan. 11, the U.S. Army’s website noted that a Typhon MRC missile launcher destined for the Philippines had been successfully loaded onto a chartered vessel, “demonstrating the Army’s commitment to adapting its land-based fire capabilities for rapid deployment in various environments, including coastal and amphibious operations.”

Lt. Col. Ben Blane, who commands the first long-range fires battalion, a key part of the MDTF, remarked that the “battery didn’t even exist a year ago.”

“Now you have qualified crews and systems that just demonstrated new methods to deliver fires and move in theater.”

The system—named after a serpentine creature from Greek mythology—was first deployed to the Philippines in April 2024.

At the time, Orion Intel, which specializes in 3D reconstruction using satellite imagery, posted an image on X depicting the weapon’s capacity to strike inland targets in China, among other locations.

“Its deployment on the First Island Chain marks a significant milestone for American long-range fires capability,” Orion Intel said.

The Typhon system was redeployed to a different location in the Philippines in January.

Subsequently, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, on Jan. 23 accused the Philippines of “creating tensions and antagonism in the region and inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.”

On Jan. 30, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offered to return the weapon system, if China would stop its aggressive behavior.

“Let’s make a deal with China: Stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us, and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior, and we’ll return the Typhon missiles.”

He said that he did not understand China’s issue with the deployment.

“We don’t make any comments on their missile systems, and their missile systems are a thousand times more powerful than what we have,” Marcos said.