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The American-Japan-Korea Trilateral pact which is also known as the Camp David Principles is a security pact among the three states which is led by the USA similar to AUKUS and Quad Plus. It was made public on the 18th of August, 2023 at Camp Davids in the United States. The motto behind this trilateral security cooperation is to counter security threats from North Korea and China.
The purpose of our trilateral security cooperation is and will remain to promote and enhance peace and stability throughout the region.
In the Camp David Summit, American President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida discussed their common security concerns and agreed upon a set of solutions to it like military coordination, increasing their combat readiness in case if any regional conflict arises and declared North Korea and China as their major regional adversaries.
The primary goal of this cooperation is to counter threats from these states. Since the end of World War II, the USA has tried to maintain its military presence in the region, there is historical cooperation between the three states as well such as Japan in 1951 and the mutual defense treaty between Uthe SA- South Korea in 1953.
The cooperation is significant because of many factors including the geographical proximity of Japan and South Korea to North Korea and China, maintenance of stability on the Korean Peninsula, and hindering and demotivating China in its pursuit of forming a trilateral alliance with North Korea and Russia. The trilateral cooperation can help USA, Japan, and South Korea to increase military coordination, share intelligence and carry out joint military exercises and exhibit a solid front in the face of their regional rivals.
This can help promote deterrence, thus reducing the risk of conflict in the region and promote regional stability. The benefits of this cooperation can transcend the defense area as it has the potential to increase economic growth as well because a region with lesser to no conflicts attracts growth opportunities. The economy prospers in absence of chaos and conflict. The technology sharing among the three states can also bring about technological innovation. As the joint statement released by Government officials of three states :
However, there are a number of challenges surrounding this trilateral partnership which can cause potential hindrances in their shared goals. The biggest of them all is exacerbating the insecurities of their regional rival states North Korea and China. North Korea fears a regime change and China is concerned with its control over Taiwan.
In these case scenarios, USA, Japan and South Korea need to be extra careful because increasing deterrence will be counterproductive and will likely cause North Korea to increase its nuclear arsenal and enhance its military capabilities which could lead to further escalation. Also with China, they need to carefully navigate the volatility surrounding status of Taiwan as acknowledging its sovereignty openly will deteriorate their relations with China and its like waking up a sleeping lion. Wisdom is in accepting the “One China Principle”.
There also lie ideological differences between the two groups of states, USA, Japan and South Korea are supporters of Democracy while North Korea and China believe in Autocracy. North Korea also doubts USA involvement in the region because of its historical interventions and assassinations of leaders of rogue states such as Libya, Iraq and Syria etc. This is used as an excuse by North Korea to justify its offensive actions like the development of Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles ICBMs, as a defense and deterrence strategy.
USA, Japan and South Korea are continuing to carry out their combined military drills such as “Freedom Edge” which is a multidomain trilateral exercise that includes data sharing, and interception of Ballistic Missiles launched by North Korea and warning them. They are doing it all to manage Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and North Korean hazardous missile tests in the Sea of Japan. Considering the severity of security issues, 25 such military exercises are being carried out including cyber and naval ones.
“Freedom Edge” is a multidomain trilateral exercise that includes data sharing, interception of ballistic missiles and early warnings
There are more issues as well like Domestic Politics, South Korean and Japan’s historical bilateral relationship and animosity part from this security cooperation and Japan’s prohibited use of force in Article 9 of its constitution. USA under Trump administration in 2025, also seems to deviate from its allies’ stances. Such as in Munich, Japan and South Korea tried to make a point by saying that Euro Atlantic and Indo Pacific Securities are interlinked while USA had an opposing view to that and deemed the two are separate.
Trump administration shows no interest in playing a role as a mediator between Japan and South Korea, unlike previous USA Governments. Trump carries forward the realist “America First Agenda” in everything. This can potentially cause strain on the trilateral cooperation as it will cause cost-sharing disagreements, a decline in military expenditure from USA and a revision in the plan of reciprocal tariffs. USA relations with North Korea, China, and Russia also matter during this time.
The pact has practically been able to transform the defense posture of Asia Pacific.
Thus, the pact has practically been able to transform the defense posture of Asia Pacific, Revival of Japan and South Korean defense ties in June 2024, Mutual defense drills like Freedom Edge and technological exchange of semi-conductors and AI technology are manifestations of it. The future of the pact depends on alignment of interests of the three states and commitment to trilateral arrangement. USA has a pivotal role in it, if it manages to keep up with his previous plans and keep domestic politics away from the defense objectives.
The author is a Graduate of Defense and Diplomatic Studies from Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi. She is interested in Geopolitics and International Relations Analysis.
