Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting With Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru July 29, 2024

 

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Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting With Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru July 29, 2024 Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Ms. Sabrina Singh provided the following readout: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met today with Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru in Tokyo. Secretary Austin reaffirmed the unwavering and ironclad U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan, which is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. The two officials underscored the importance of continuing to strengthen the U.S.-Japan Alliance toward a free and open Indo-Pacific. Secretary Austin and Minister Kihara welcomed the historic announcements from the 2024 U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee on defense industrial base cooperation and continued collaboration on alliance command and control.  The officials also welcomed the historic Trilateral Ministerial Meeting with Minister Kihara and Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik on July 28 – the first to ever take place in either Japan or the ROK. Both officials reaffirmed the strategic alignment between the United States and Japan, as well as shared Alliance goals to optimize force posture, bolster integrated deterrence, modernize roles and missions, and cooperate with like-minded partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.