The U.S. needs to ensure that it will be able to obtain permission from Japan to use U.S. bases in the country for combat purposes “within hours” after a Taiwan conflict breaks out, an influential scholar and Pentagon adviser says.
Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Oriana Skylar Mastro, an expert on the Chinese military, said that if the U.S. were to intervene in a cross-strait contingency, the northern Philippines and southwest Japan will be the only areas that the U.S. military has access to that are in combat radius of the self-governing island.
The United States would require Japan’s approval and cooperation to utilize its military bases in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, according to international agreements and strategic partnerships. Japan hosts a significant number of U.S. military bases under a bilateral security alliance, making it a key player in any regional military operations. However, Japan’s pacifist constitution and public opinion could influence its decision-making regarding such involvement.
Japan’s geographical proximity to Taiwan and its strategic positioning make its bases critical for logistics, troop deployments, and operational planning. Additionally, any U.S. action in the region would likely require Japanese support for access to airstrips, ports, and other facilities. Given the increasing tension in the Taiwan Strait, discussions between the U.S. and Japan about contingencies have reportedly intensified.
While Japan has recently taken steps to bolster its own defense capabilities and deepen its alliance with the U.S., its leaders often emphasize the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. For the U.S. to fully leverage its military presence in Japan during a Taiwan contingency, it would need to ensure Japan’s consent, balancing strategic objectives with diplomatic sensitivities.
