Latest news with #IndoPacific
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Pentagon No. 3 praises Japan defense report, but vows to make alliance more 'equitable'
The U.S. Department of Defense's No. 3 official has lauded Japan's latest defense white paper — though his praise was couched in language suggesting that the Pentagon will continue to push Tokyo to hike defense spending even further. The annual report, released Tuesday, says the international community has entered 'a new era of crisis,' with China representing Japan's 'greatest strategic challenge' and U.S. President Donald Trump's policies expected to 'significantly impact' the Indo-Pacific region. U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby on Tuesday labeled the report 'an important, clear-eyed strategic assessment from our close ally Japan.' Colby's endorsement, however, came with the stipulation that the U.S. would aim to focus on the shifting tide in the Indo-Pacific by seeking a more 'equitable' balance in its alliance with Japan. 'We at DOD stand ready to work closely with Tokyo to adjust to this new era and to follow President Trump's guidance to make our alliances stronger, more equitable, and thus sustainable,' Colby wrote on X. Trump has a long history of railing against the U.S.-Japan alliance, saying in recent months that the partnership is unfair and 'one-sided' — remarks that echoed views from his first term, when he demanded Tokyo cough up more cash or risk the removal of American troops. Colby has carried out these demands, initially saying during a March confirmation hearing that Japan 'should be spending at least 3%' of its gross domestic product on defense 'as soon as possible.' Last month, however, the Pentagon said it had set a 'global standard' for Japan and other U.S. allies to spend 5% of GDP on defense. Ostensibly pacifist Japan has in recent years undertaken a dramatic transformation of its security policy, including a five-year plan to ramp up defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027. Japan's defense white paper alluded to concerns over potential policy shifts under Trump, saying that 'U.S. actions will significantly impact' the regional security environment 'and will require continued attention.' The Shandong, China's first domestically built aircraft carrier, sits anchored after arriving in Hong Kong on July 3. | AFP-JIJI China, meanwhile, lashed out at the attention it received in the report. 'The new version of the defense white paper holds a wrong perception of China, unreasonably interferes in China's internal affairs and hypes up the so-called China threat,' Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian told a news conference Tuesday. 'China expresses strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to this, and has lodged solemn representations with Japan.' The white paper singles out China as 'the greatest strategic challenge' Tokyo has ever faced, pointing to the Chinese military's stepped-up 'throughout areas surrounding Japan.' It cites several recent incidents, including the China Coast Guard's deployment of a helicopter in Japan's territorial airspace around the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkakus in May. The white paper also notes a Chinese military aircraft's incursion into Japanese airspace last August and a Chinese aircraft carrier sailing close to Japan's territorial waters the following month — both firsts. Beijing has continued to chip away at precedent in recent months, dispatching both of its active aircraft carriers deep into the western Pacific last month and sending its warplanes near Japanese aircraft multiple times in recent weeks, moves that Tokyo said risked collisions. Following the latest close encounter — during which Chinese JH-7 fighter-bombers came within 30 meters of the Japanese YS-11EB electronic intelligence aircraft — Beijing blamed Tokyo, calling 'close-in reconnaissance and harassment' by the Japanese side 'the root cause' of the incidents. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks during a news conference at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday. | JIJI Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Tuesday that the Air Self-Defense Force had acted appropriately in conducting 'regular surveillance activities,' calling the Chinese allegations that the ASDF aircraft's flights were to blame 'completely unfounded.' Lin disputed that China's larger military moves were problematic, repeating Beijing's line that it adheres to 'the path of peaceful development and pursues a defensive national defense policy.' 'Its national defense construction and military activities are legitimate and reasonable, and its military cooperation with other countries is in line with international law and international practice,' he said. Lin accused Tokyo of using the white paper — which also offers a detailed description of progress Japan has made in strengthening its own defenses — to justify its decision to loosen many of the postwar shackles on its military in recent years. Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Lin urged Japan to 'deeply reflect' on its role in the war 'and stop looking for pretexts for its military expansion by exaggerating 'tensions in the surrounding areas.''
Fast Company
10 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Defense Department to spend $1 billion on ‘offensive' hacking: What that means—and the major risk involved
The Department of Defense plans to spend $1 billion on 'offensive cyber operations' over the next four years, Tech Crunch reported. The funding comes from a provision tucked into President Donald Trump's massive 940-page One Big Beautiful Bill, which was recently passed and signed into law on July 4. The mega bill also increases overall defense spending from lasy year's fiscal 2024 levels of $873 billion, or 12.9% of the federal budget, per USAFacts a nonprofit initiative to make government data more understandable. According to the report, the bill does not specify what the 'offensive cyber operations' are, or what software would qualify for funding; however, it does stipulate the funding will go to enhancing and improving the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), based in Hawaii, which is the responsible for defending and promting U.S. interests in the Pacific and Asia, including China. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), senior cyber advisor Marcus Willet has described offensive cyber operations as those which 'most often entail influencing, misleading or otherwise cognitively affecting a competitor or adversary by, for example, planting false information. But they can also be used for disablement.' Adding,'Offensive cyber operations are of increasing significance in international affairs and bring with them a range of strategic risks.' Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, who sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said that the funding comes as the same time the Trump administration has cut other defensive cybersecurity programs—including slashing the staff and budget for the the U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA—which Wyden said has 'left our country wide open to attack by foreign hackers,' according to the report. 'Vastly expanding U.S. government hacking is going to invite retaliation — not just against federal agencies, but also rural hospitals, local governments and private companies who don't stand a chance against nation-state hackers,' Wyden told TechCrunch.
South China Morning Post
14 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Is US pushing its Asian allies to do more to counter China?
Reports that a senior Pentagon official has been telling America's European allies to stay away from the Indo-Pacific may be a sign that Washington will ask its Asian allies to shoulder more responsibility for countering China, according to some analysts. On Tuesday, Politico reported that defence undersecretary for policy Elbridge Colby had tried and failed to stop Britain from sending an aircraft carrier to the Indo-Pacific. The report cited sources who interpreted the Pentagon's No 3 as 'basically saying 'You have no business being in the Indo-Pacific''. They added that he thought the United States does not 'need the Europeans to be doing anything' in the region. Liselotte Odgaard, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, said this might increase the pressure on US allies in the region to do more to help contain China. 'Asking Europe to leave doesn't mean they [the European countries] should not be tough on China. The US asks them to be much tougher in Europe on China with regards to export controls, their cooperation with Russia in the Arctic et cetera,' Odgaard said. 'But when it comes to [China]... the US doesn't want Europe to mess up its defence cooperation with its Indo-Pacific allies and its plans for military deterrence of China. There is a risk that Europe and Indo-Pacific allies join forces in resisting some US defence policies.'
SBS Australia
20 hours ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
China ready for closer ties with Australia
China ready for closer ties with Australia The federal court dismisses a big climate change involving the Torres Strait Islands... Cricket, Aussie captain Pat Cummins pays tribute to Mitchell Starc after a crushing victory in his 100th Test match Chinese President Xi Jinping says his country is ready to work with Australia to deepen bilateral ties. Mr Albanese has met with Mr Xi in Beijing, before a lunch in his honour. He says Australia welcomes progress on co-operation regarding the possible expansion of the ten-year-old Australia-China Free Trade Agreement. Mr Albanese says the Australia-China relationship is important to the entire Indo-Pacific region. "Dialogue needs to be at the centre of our relationship, and I welcome the opportunity to set out Australia's views and interests and our thinking on how we can maintain peace, security, stability, and prosperity in our region." The Federal Court has dismissed a landmark case which argued the federal government breached its duty of care to protect the Torres Strait Islands from climate change. The case, brought by Traditional Owners Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai in 2021, argued the government held a duty of care to the Indigenous peoples and alleged that its failure to adequately reduce emissions has contributed to harm of their island communities. Justice Michael Wigney delivered the Federal Court's ruling, says the government had no such duty in this case. "The applicants have not succeeded in making their primary case in negligence. The Commonwealth did not and does not owe Torres Strait Islanders the duty of care alleged by the applicants in support of their primary case. The decisions involved in the setting and communication of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets pursuant to its international obligations or otherwise are highly political in nature and almost self-evidently involve matters of high or core government policy. They are accordingly not properly subjected to common law duty of care of the sort alleged by the applicants." Judge Wigney emphasises his findings are not sanctioning the government's previous greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets which he called unquestionably modest and unambitious. Authorities are working to contact families at four additional Melbourne childcare centres where alleged sex offender Joshua Dale Brown has been found to have worked. More than 800 additional children will be urged to undergo testing for infectious diseases. The newly-listed locations are all operated by Affinity Education. They are the Kids Academy Waratah Estate in Mickleham, as well the Milestones Early Learning Centres in Tarneit, Greensborough, and Braybrook. He worked at these centres between August 2024 and February 2025. Brown has been charged with more than 70 offences against eight alleged victims aged younger than two at a centre in Point Cook, in Melbourne's south-west. Police believe Brown worked at 23 childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is warning 34,000 defective power banks are still being used in Australia. There have been 17 different recalls of portable battery chargers since 2020, and more than half of these have been issued since the start of last year. Power banks use rechargeable lithium ion or lithium polymer batteries that can be highly flammable, and can explode or vent toxic gas. Amongst the most recent brands to have products recalled include Anker, Baseus, and Snapwireless. In cricket, Australian captain Pat Cummins says Mitchell Starc has summed up his own greatness in his 100th Test match. Australia has marked Starc's 100th Test by dismissing the West Indies for just 27 in Jamaica - the second-lowest total in the 149-year history of Test cricket. Australia winning the match by 176 runs on the third day to secure a three-nil clean sweep in the series. Starc took three wickets in the first over of the innings alone, and took for 6 for 9 to collect the Player of the Match award. Cummins says his team mate's performance was incredible, but unsurprising. "I think a lot of the chat leading in to this week is how resilient you need to do, and professional, and all those things, you need to be to make it to 100 Tests. But I think that is the Starcy I always remember playing alongside- he can tear a game open by himself really in a matter of a couple of overs. It feels like he can do it in any format, any time. That was amazing. It kind of went from really like we were in a pretty good position, to the game being ours, in the space of five minutes." Starc wasn't the only Australia fast bowler to star in the crushing win. Scott Boland became the first Australian bowler in 15 years to take a Test hat-trick.
Japan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Japan Times
'Dialogue' must be at heart of China-Australia ties, PM tells Xi
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that "dialogue" must be at the heart of ties between Canberra and Beijing as he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Albanese is on his second visit to China as prime minister, seeking to bolster recently stabilized trade ties even as geopolitical tensions remain high. Relations between Beijing and Canberra have charted a bumpy course over the past decade, a period marked by repeated disagreements over national security and competing interests across the vast Indo-Pacific region.
