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Japan, U.S. Announce Guidelines to Deepen Extended Deterrence
January/February 2025
Japan and the United States announced their first guidelines for strengthening U.S. extended nuclear deterrence, saying they face “an increasingly severe strategic and nuclear threat environment.”
“This document reinforces the alliance’s existing consultation and communication procedures related to extended deterrence,” the two countries said in a joint announcement on Dec. 26. “The guidelines also address strategic messaging to maximize deterrence and enhance measures for U.S. extended deterrence, bolstered by Japan’s defense capabilities.”
The two sides have not made the guidelines public or otherwise provided details about what has been agreed.
But Yomiuri Shimbun, citing anonymous Japanese officials, reported on Dec. 29 that the guidelines include provisions that Japan and the United States will communicate regarding the use of U.S. nuclear weapons through the Japanese Self Defense Force’s alliance coordination mechanism. The guidelines document is the first one to articulate Japan’s involvement in U.S. decision-making on nuclear use, according to the news report.—SHIZUKA KURAMITSU