Abe marks 60 years of Japan-US security alliance

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday presided over a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of a security treaty between Japan and the United States.

Speaking at the event in Tokyo, he said the military alliance with the US had become a "firm pillar" ensuring peace and prosperity in Asia.

Abe's grandfather, Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, signed the treaty on 19 January, 1960, with US President Dwight Eisenhower, whose grand-daughter was a guest at Sunday's ceremony.

The treaty has been the basis for the US stationing 50,000 troops in Japan and forward-deploying American warships.

Abe has pushed for Japan's Self-Defense Force to expand its international role and capability by bolstering cooperation and weapons compatibility with the US, as it increasingly works alongside US troops.

Since US President Donald Trump took office, Japan has also increasingly purchased costly US weapons.