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US envoy to Japan nominee Rahm Emanuel vows to deepen ties amid China tensions
- Emanuel also told a Senate confirmation hearing that he welcomed a potential increase in Tokyo’s defence spending
- The 66-year-old said the US, Japan and South Korea should focus on addressing the threats posed by China and Pyongyang
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US ambassador to Japan nominee Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday vowed to enhance bilateral ties as China seeks to “conquer through division,” while welcoming a potential increase in Tokyo’s defence spending.
Calling the bilateral partnership the “cornerstone of peace and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Emanuel, who served as a top aide to former president Barack Obama, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “If confirmed, my top priority will be to deepen these ties.”
“China aims to conquer through division. America’s strategy is security through unity. That regional unity is built on the shoulders of the US-Japan alliance,” the 61-year-old added.
The US ambassadorship to Japan has been vacant since William Hagerty stepped down in July 2019 to run for the Senate. The nomination requires Senate approval.
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, headed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, has proposed ahead of the October 31 general election increasing defence outlays, possibly to 2 per cent of gross domestic product or higher. Japan, with its pacifist constitution, has so far kept defence spending to around 1 per cent of GDP.
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