Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III told Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada that the U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of security in the Indo-Pacific and pledged to make the already close alliance even closer.
The two men met and held meetings in the Pentagon today. While the two have spoken before, this is Hamada's first meeting with Austin. Hamada previously served as defense minister in 2008-2009.
Austin said the United States and Japan are bound together by ties of friendship and trust. The two nations also share common interests and a belief in democracy.
"We also share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and a rules-based international order," the secretary said. "But China's recent aggressive behavior and Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, are serious challenges to that vision."
Austin minced no words in discussing the threats in the globe today. "Let's be clear, China's coercive actions in the Taiwan Strait, and the waters surrounding Japan are provocative, destabilizing and aggressive," he said. "Our response, together with Japan and our other allies and partners, had been responsible, steady and resolute."
Austin emphasized America's commitment to the defense of Japan saying it includes "our commitment to credible and resilient extended deterrence, using the full range of our conventional and nuclear capabilities."
Hamada agreed, saying through a translator that no country has the right to change the rules-based order unilaterally.
Hamada also wants to work closely with the United States to modernize the overall alliance and, specifically, Japanese military capabilities.
Austin said the two leaders would discuss ways to bolster the free and open Indo-Pacific and said the United States would like to deepen cooperation with other like-minded nations, "including building upon recent trilateral engagements with South Korea and Australia."