Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met today with Japan's Minister of Defense Nakatani Gen in Naples, Italy on the margins of the G7 Defense Ministers' Meeting and congratulated Minister Nakatani on his recent appointment.
The two officials discussed the historic progress the United States and Japan have made in advancing Alliance priorities. They reaffirmed their commitment to modernize Alliance command and control and expand bilateral presence in Japan's Southwest Islands. Secretary Austin thanked Minister Nakatani for the successful transfer of Patriot missiles from Japan to replenish U.S. inventories and welcomed progress toward greater U.S.-Japan defense industrial cooperation under the Forum on Defense Industrial Cooperation, Acquisition, and Sustainment since the inaugural meeting in June.
The two sides reaffirmed the importance of deepening cooperation with like-minded partners to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific and expressed hope that they would meet again during multilateral engagements in the coming months.