Tokyo snubs Washington: Japan pulls plug on 2+2 security talks with US; defence budget demand sparks row

Japan has cancelled a high-level meeting with its closest ally United States, after the Trump administration abruptly demanded Tokyo to spend more on defence, reported The Financial Times on Friday.US secretary of state Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth were expected to meet their Japanese counterparts, defence minister general Nakatani and foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya in Washington on July 1, for an annual 2+2 security talks.However, Tokyo called off the meeting after the US asked Japan to raise its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, up from an earlier request of 3 per cent, according to three sources familiar with the discussions, including two officials based in Tokyo, cited by the newspaper. A senior Japanese official stated that the decision to cancel the July 1 meeting was also influenced by the upcoming upper house elections on July 20, where the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is anticipated to lose seats.Reuters quoted a US government official confirming, Japan had “postponed” the meeting and the decision was made weeks earlier, though no reason was provided. Meanwhile, a non-government source familiar with the matter confirmed hearing about Japan’s withdrawal from the talks but was also unaware of the motive behind the move.The Financial Times said, the new, increased demand came in recent weeks by Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior official in the Pentagon, who also recently stirred tensions with another major US ally in the Indo-Pacific by initiating a review of AUKUS, the nuclear-powered submarine deal with Australia.The tensions of security come as Japan and other US allies have been engaged with the United States in a tough trade talk over US President Donald Trump’s worldwide tariff onslaught.While speaking at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue defence forum in Singapore last month, Hegseth urged Asia-Pacific allies to follow the “newfound example” set by Europeans in boosting defence spending, pointing to regional threats from China and North Korea.“The US is now playing hardball with allies in the Asia-Pacific,” one defence official was quoted.In March, Elbridge Colby’s call for Japan to boost its defence spending, at his Senate confirmation hearing for under secretary of defence for policy, prompted a sharp response from Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who asserted that Japan’s defence budget would be determined by Tokyo alone, not by outside pressure.