Security Consultative Committee ("2+2")—Minister/Secretary Level (1990–present)

U.S. Agencies

Japan Agencies

Meeting Frequency

Context

• Formed by an exchange of diplomatic letters in tandem with the signing of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States in 1960.
• Grew in importance after 1990, when the meeting was upgraded to include the secretaries of state and defense rather than the previous ambassador and head of U.S. Pacific Command; SCC then became known as the 2+2.
• In 2007, the Japan Defense Agency upgraded to the Ministry of Defense, so ministers of foreign affairs and defense began representing Japan.

Goals

• To maintain and coordinate the military aspect of the U.S.-Japan alliance.
• To address foreign policy issues after the 2+2 broadened its mandate in 1990. This was particularly evident with the 2+2’s articulation of regional and global common strategic objectives in 2005.

Significance

The 2+2 delegates the bulk of working-level consultations to its Security Subcommittee and Subcommittee for Defense Cooperation, managed at the assistant secretary/director general level. The 2+2 has tackled many issues since its inception, with a recent focus on the realignment of U.S. bases in Japan, identifying common strategic objectives for the alliance, and revising the Guidelines for Bilateral Defense Cooperation, which it first created in 1978.