On October 3, the United States and Japan held the Security Consultative Committee (SCC) meeting, often referred to as “two-plus-two” because it includes the US secretaries of state and defense and Japan’s foreign and defense ministers, in Tokyo. The joint statement issued at the end of the meeting, “Toward a More Robust Alliance and Greater Shared Responsibilities”, described the vision of the US-Japan alliance that is “more balanced and effective.” It included an extensive list of action items in three categories: “bilateral security and defense cooperation” (previously called “roles, missions, and capabilities”), “regional engagement,” and “US force realignment in Japan”.
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