On May 30, Secretary Hegseth met with Japan's defense minister Shinjirō Koizumi in Singapore. The two leaders reaffirmed the critical role of the U.S.-Japan alliance in preserving peace in the Indo-Pacific. They discussed Japan's strategic documents review, as well as its efforts to rapidly enhance defense capabilities and to increase its defense spending.
Secretary Hegseth and Minister Koizumi also discussed upcoming bilateral activities, which are part of a comprehensive effort to increase realistic training and exercises across Japan. The two leaders endorsed the upcoming temporary deployment of U.S. ground-based missile capabilities to a Japan Self-Defense Forces base, agreed to enhance flexible air dispersal access and practice, and committed to advance bilateral presence in the Southwest Islands. Furthermore, they affirmed the importance of continuing concrete, tangible trilateral cooperation with Australia and lauded the establishment of a trilateral air and missile defense data sharing framework among the three countries.
Secretary Hegseth welcomed Japan's recent defense export policy changes that will strengthen its defense industrial base, and both leaders committed to continuing cooperation on defense industrial base matters, including on critical global munitions requirements. Secretary Hegseth and Minister Koizumi also discussed the importance of further increasing missile production to meet critical air defense requirements.
