Washington Mulls Upgrading Commander of U.S. Forces in Japan

Washington, June 3 (Jiji Press)–U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday that his country is considering upgrading the rank of the commander of U.S. forces in Japan.

As the Japanese and U.S. governments plan to bolster command and control coordination, talks are underway to expand the authority of the U.S. military in the Asian nation.

The U.S. government is considering a proposal to upgrade the rank of the head of the U.S. Forces Japan from the current lieutenant general to general.

At a press conference in Singapore, Austin said, “I don’t have any announcements to make today (on the possible rank upgrade).”

Saying that the possible upgrade is “something that we’re looking at very closely,” Austin added, “We want to get it right the first time.” The Defense Department released a transcript of his remarks.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]