A high-powered U.S. commission reviewing the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy has urged the military to upgrade its command in Japan to a four-star general with operational duties — just days after officials revealed the command would undergo a dramatic overhaul.
That overhaul, however, will see the U.S. military commander in Japan remain a three-star general, defense officials have said, despite Tokyo’s long-held desire to have a U.S. commander of the same rank and authority as their counterpart in the Self-Defense Forces.
The bipartisan panel, which gathers every four years to craft the reviews based on interviews with lawmakers, allies, administration officials and Pentagon leaders, said in a report published Monday that it “strongly praises” U.S. diplomatic and defense efforts to strengthen partnerships in Asia, which it said were “driven in response to Chinese provocations.”