Japan, U.S. Reaffirm Application of Security Treaty to Senkaku Isles

   Tokyo, Jan. 31 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Friday that the Japan-U.S. security treaty covers the Senkaku Islands in Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
   The discussions were the first between the Japanese and U.S. defense chiefs since the start of the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
   In their phone talks of some 40 minutes, Nakatani and Hegseth agreed to beef up the Japan-U.S. alliance's deterrence and response capabilities, confirming the application of Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. security treaty, which stipulates the U.S. obligation to defend Japan, to the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
   The United States announced the application of the article to the islands for the first time under the current administration. The islands are also claimed by China, where they are called Diaoyu.
   "I received this with reassurance as unshakable commitments of the United States to the defense of Japan," Nakatani said in a press conference after the talks. He did not mention whether he and the secretary discussed an increase of Japan's defense budget, only noting, "I told him that Japan is working on drastic reinforcements to its defense capabilities."

(2025/01/31-17:15)

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