Japan Fully Confident of U.S. Protection: Govt Spokesman

   Tokyo, March 7 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government has the utmost confidence in the United States fulfilling its obligation to defend Japan under the bilateral security treaty, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Friday.
   "The government is fully confident that the United States will fulfill the obligation by utilizing all its capabilities including nuclear," Hayashi told a regular press conference after U.S. President Donald Trump voiced Thursday his frustration at the treaty, which does not stipulate Japan's responsibility to protect the United States.
   Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump reaffirmed the U.S. obligation during their first meeting in Washington last month, Hayashi noted.
   The top Japanese government spokesman also highlighted Tokyo's efforts, such as legislation to enable the country to exercise the right to collective self-defense, to facilitate "seamless mutual support in all occasions."
   At a separate news conference, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reconfirmed in a series talks that the United States is obliged to defend Japan under the treaty.

(2025/03/07-13:13)

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