TOKYO, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he is concerned about increased threats from North Korea and the modernization of China's military.
Gates, speaking at Keio University in Tokyo Friday, said he wants to strengthen the U.S. alliance with Japan and keep U.S. forces strong in the Pacific, the U.S. Department of Defense said.
The defense secretary said there are signs of a "disconnect" between Chinese civilian and military leaders.
Gates was in Beijing earlier this week and while he was there China's military conducted the first test flight of a new stealth fighter jet. Gates said Chinese President Hu Jintao told him he was unaware of the test.
Part of the confusion can be explained by bureaucratic mistakes but it still worries him, Gates said.
"One of the reasons why I have pressed so hard for there to be a deeper, senior-level military-civilian dialogue from both countries is we have no forum right now on military issues that includes senior civilians and military," Gates said.
Without a strong American military presence in the region, North Korea's military could be more "outrageous" and China could behave more assertively toward its neighbors, Gates said.
Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said Japan is committed to work with the U.S. military to make the region safer.
"The basic principle of Japan is to pursue peace," Kitazawa said. "But we also need to have measures to avoid being left behind."
Gates said the United States and Japan working together are stronger than either would be operating independently.
"Because of our alliance, Japan has been secure from foreign threats for over half a century at a cost of less than 1 percent of its gross domestic product," Gates said. "I would say, in economic terms, this alliance has been a very good deal for Japan."
Gates concluded a five-day trip to Asia where he focused on developing a strategy to deal with nuclear-armed and increasingly erratic North Korea. He spent three days in Beijing where he worked at re-establishing high-level military talks with China.
