Japan, U.S. Agree to Improve Command Control Coordination

   Tokyo, March 30 (Jiji Press)--The defense chiefs of Japan and the United States agreed Sunday to improve command control coordination between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military.
   At their meeting in Tokyo, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also confirmed their intentions to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the two countries' alliance, based on the results of a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump in February.
   Nakatani and Hegseth exchanged views over the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including how to deal with China, which continues military buildup.
   "I hope that Japan and the United States will continue to work closely together as the most trusted partners," Nakatani said at the start of the meeting. The U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, Hegseth said.
   This was the first face-to-face meeting between Nakatani and Hegseth since the inauguration of the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump in January.

(2025/03/30-14:26)