Taro Kono holds a press conference at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo, Friday, September 13, 2024.
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Amid growing concerns that the United States will reduce its global military role, former Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono said Japan has relied too much on the United States for security.
“I think we’ve put too much of a burden on the United States,” Kono, who also previously served as foreign minister, told Emily Tan on CNBC’s “China Connection.”
“Now Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, we have to shoulder more of the burden to maintain peace and stability in the region,” he added.
His remarks came after US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday that the US was considering the possibility of reducing its troop presence in Germany.
Japan has approximately 55,000 U.S. troops stationed there, making it the largest U.S. military presence overseas. The United States also has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea and about 35,000 troops in Germany.
Kono, who is currently a member of Japan’s House of Representatives, added that few countries can defend themselves on their own, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“No country can defend itself alone, except perhaps the United States, China and Russia,” he said.
As such, he said Asian countries should take greater responsibility for regional stability, especially as the United States reviews its efforts abroad.
“In addition to the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, we definitely need to create some kind of collective defense plan. That’s why we’re looking at countries like the Philippines, Australia, and then NATO after Ukraine.”
Japan has recently taken steps to expand its defense posture, including lifting a ban on the export of lethal weapons and considering amending Article 9 of the constitution, which would renounce war and the maintenance of an army.
The country recently signed its first warship export contract with the Royal Australian Navy.
Asked how Tokyo would address concerns about rearmament from neighboring countries, Kono said Japan had no intention of starting a conflict after decades of peace.
Japan’s wartime actions in World War II continued to shape perceptions in the region.
“Given that there has been peace in this region for 80 years, it is clear that Japan has no intention of invading other countries or causing any kind of conflict in this region,” Kono said.
But he said Tokyo must remain prepared as China’s military presence grows, citing Chinese incursions near disputed islands in the East China Sea known as Japan’s Senkaku Islands and China’s Diaoyu Islands.
Relations between China and Tokyo have cooled significantly since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said last year that if China were to try to occupy Taiwan by force, it could prompt Japan’s Self-Defense Forces to intervene, sparking fierce opposition from the Chinese government.
