On October 4, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Japan Minister of Defense Hamada Yasukazu held a call to address the threats posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) nuclear and missile programs and to reaffirm the U.S.-Japan Alliance’s resolve to maintain regional stability. The Secretary reaffirmed that the U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan is ironclad.
The two leaders shared assessments and discussed measures to respond to the DPRK’s recent missile launch. They agreed that yesterday's missile launch, which overflew Japan, was a clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions and threatened regional peace and security.
The two leaders also supported further discussions on bilateral and trilateral defense cooperation to respond to the DPRK threat, and to continue efforts to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.