Japanese Lawmakers Probe U.S. Military Shift Amid Iran Att@cks
Japanese lawmakers, shaken by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, convened Monday at the ruling party’s Tokyo headquarters to grill bureaucrats on evacuation plans, energy reserves, and the legal grounds for Washington’s actions.
One question at the closed-door session—shared with Reuters by an attendee—captured a broader anxiety rippling through Asia’s power centers since Trump’s weekend assaults ignited Middle East turmoil: What happens if the U.S. redirects ships and missiles from deterring China?
The issue presses Japan and South Korea, hosts to major U.S. bases countering China’s assertiveness and nuclear-armed North Korea, as well as Taiwan, which Beijing claims and Washington arms. “We hope this operation is fast, limited, and that resources can be promptly shifted back to Asia,” said Taiwan ruling party lawmaker Chen Kuan-ting, a parliament foreign affairs and defense committee member. A drawn-out conflict could undermine “stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific,” he warned, urging Taipei to brace for heightened Beijing “coercion” during U.S. distraction.
Trump, projecting a four-to-five-week Middle East campaign that could extend much longer, plans a late-March meeting with China’s Xi Jinping, unconfirmed by Beijing. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning insisted Tuesday that Taiwan is “an internal matter” and rejected force against other nations’ sovereignty.
‘Stretched Thin’ U.S. Forces
A Japanese politician at the meeting said a top foreign ministry official reported Tokyo had pressed Washington for guarantees against shifting U.S. assets. About 40% of deployable U.S. Navy ships now orbit the Middle East, per a Center for Strategic and International Studies report. These encompass the Pacific-based aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and at least six missile destroyers from California, Hawaii, and Japan ports, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.
Asia’s sole U.S. carrier, the George Washington, sits in maintenance at Japan’s Yokosuka base. “The U.S. Navy is stretched thin,” said Hudson Institute naval expert Bryan Clark, a former U.S. defense official. Prolonged war raises real odds of U.S. naval pullbacks from Asia, he noted: “The fleet… is not sufficient to keep a steady presence in every theater.”
The conflict also drains U.S. munitions stockpiles, long a worry among experts. The Pentagon has tapped defense firms for ramped-up production, but years may pass. Replenishing Indo-Pacific reserves deters Chinese moves on Taiwan midterm, a U.S. official said anonymously, citing sensitivity. Japan already faces delays on hundreds of U.S. Tomahawk missiles and risks more slippage, per Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments fellow Jan van Tol.
Grand Strategy in Question?
Just three months ago, Washington cast the Indo-Pacific as its pivotal “geopolitical battleground,” prioritizing Taiwan deterrence. Yet Trump has since seized Venezuela’s leader in a bold strike, eyed annexing Greenland, and partnered with Israel on Iran’s air campaign.
Asian allies fret about distraction, but analysts note Beijing gains little short-term: Trump’s hits crippled two oil-rich partners propping China’s economy. Some speculate a master plan to neutralize Middle East threats before pivoting to China. Still, prolonged entanglement tilts odds toward Beijing.
“The grand strategy is supposed to be ‘contain Iran in the Middle East, then shift resources toward dealing with China,'” one anonymous Japanese ruling party lawmaker said. “But the question is whether there will be enough resources left.”
China has seized past U.S. diversions, like militarizing South China Sea isles during the Afghanistan war, said Jennifer Parker, ex-Royal Australian Navy officer and Lowy Institute fellow. “Beijing will be watching closely.”
The U.S. State and Defense Departments didn’t immediately comment.