New US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani agreed in a telephone conversation to continue efforts to strengthen the alliance between the two countries, the Japanese government said today.
"The ministers confirmed their firm intention to continue initiatives aimed at strengthening the alliance, including improving the appropriate command and control framework and expanding the bilateral presence in the southwestern region of Japan," the Japanese Defense Ministry said in a statement.
On January 24, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stressed the importance of maintaining close ties between Japan and Donald Trump's US to strengthen regional stability.
"At a time when the balance of power in the region is at a historic turning point, we must deepen cooperation between Japan and the United States in a concrete way," Ishiba told parliament.
The buildup of the Chinese military in the Asia-Pacific region, combined with the US president's "America First" policy, which specifically requires allies such as Japan to bear a greater share of the costs of their defense, is causing concern in the Japanese archipelago.
Tokyo is alarmed both by the growth of North Korea's nuclear program, whose leader Donald Trump met with during his first term, and by the rise in power of Chinese forces in the context of territorial disputes.
This also applies to Taiwan, which Beijing considers one of its provinces and which does not rule out reunification by force.
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