Speaking to at a
news conference following a meeting with Japan Defense Minister
Itsunori Onodera, Hagel said they discussed the threat posed by
Pyongyang. He said the two ships are in response to North Korea's
"pattern of provocative and destabilizing actions" that violate U.N.
resolutions and also will provide more protection to the U.S. from those
threats.
"With this power comes new and wider responsibilities as to how you use that power" and how to employ military might, Hagel said, adding that he looks forward to an honest, straightforward dialogue with the Chinese.
The announcement of the deployments of additional destroyers to Japan came as tensions with North Korea spiked again, with Pyongyang continuing to threaten additional missile and nuclear tests. North and South Korea fired hundreds of artillery shells into each other's waters in late March in the most recent flare-up.
On
Friday, North Korea accused the U.S. of being "hell-bent on regime
change" and warned that any maneuvers with that intention will be viewed
as a "red line" that will result in countermeasures. Pyongyang's deputy
U.N. ambassador, Ri Tong Il, also said his government "made it very
clear we will carry out a new form of nuclear test" but refused to
provide details.
The two additional ships would bring the total to seven U.S.
ballistic missile defense warships in Japan, and it continues U.S.
efforts to increase its focus on the Asia Pacific.Hagel is on a 10-day trip across the Asia Pacific, and just spent three days in Hawaii meeting with Southeast Asian defense ministers, talking about efforts to improve defense and humanitarian assistance cooperation. Japan is his second stop, where he said he wants to assure Japanese leaders that the U.S. is strongly committed to protecting their country's security.
Japan
and China have been engaged in a long, bitter dispute over remote
islands in the East China Sea. The U.S. has said it takes no side on the
question of the disputed islands' sovereignty, but it recognizes
Japan's administration of them and has responsibilities to protect
Japanese territory under a mutual defense treaty.
Hagel
said the U.S. wants the countries in the region to resolve the disputes
peacefully. But he added that the United States would honor its treaty
commitments.
Last October, the
U.S. and Japan agreed to broad plans to expand their defense alliance,
including plans to position a second early warning radar there by the
end of this year. There is one in northern Japan and the second one
would be designed to provide better missile defense coverage in the
event of a North Korean attack.
The
U.S. will begin sending long-range Global Hawk surveillance drones to
Japan this month for rotational deployments. They are intended to help
step up surveillance around the Senkaku islands, a source of heated
debate between Japan and China over claims to the remote territories.
In
its latest symbolic gesture of support for Japan, the U.S. decided not
to send a warship to participate in a Chinese naval parade as part of
the Western Pacific Naval Symposium because the Japanese were not
invited. U.S. military leaders, including the Navy's top officer, Adm.
Jonathan Greenert, will attend the symposium and ship review.
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