Secretary of War Hegseth Meets Japan's Defense Minister Koizumi in the Philippines: Alliance, First Island Chain Denial Defense and Munitions Production
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjirō Koizumi in the Philippines on October 27, on the occasion of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), where the two reaffirmed that the U.S.-Japan Alliance is indispensable to preserving peace and stability in the Pacific and agreed to strengthen deterrence and defense cooperation, according to a readout the Department of War issued the same day.
The two leaders emphasized increased defense investment and sustained strategic coordination to strengthen deterrence and carry out effective denial defense along the First Island Chain, the readout said.
On training and posture, they discussed enhancing deterrence by expanding bilateral access, presence, and live-force exercises — including live-fire drills — across locations in Japan. They also agreed to accelerate work toward more flexible and resilient operations, including flexible use of facilities and practicing distributed operations.
Hegseth welcomed Japan's efforts to strengthen its defense industrial capacity, and the two committed to continued close coordination on the production of critical munitions.
Hegseth traveled to the Philippines for this year's ADMM-Plus and held a series of bilateral meetings with defense counterparts; the same day, he also met Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles to discuss force posture cooperation and AUKUS.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：战争部长 Pete Hegseth（左）与日本防卫大臣小泉进次郎在菲律宾举行双边会见时合影。照片：美国战争部官方照片（DVIDS），公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。/ Photo: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (left) with Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjirō Koizumi at their bilateral meeting in the Philippines. U.S. Department of War photo (DVIDS), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
