The Japanese and U.S. defense chiefs held their first talks Tuesday, pledging to cooperate in responding to "any situation in the region" after China’s launch of ballistic missiles into waters near Japan’s far-flung southwestern islands earlier this month.
New Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “strongly condemned” Beijing’s decision to lob five ballistic missiles into Japan’s claimed exclusive economic zone, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry, with the pair vowing “seamless” cooperation, including at the ministerial level, in responding to challenges.
The launches — which were part of China’s large-scale military exercises around Taiwan earlier this month after a visit to the island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — were characterized by Hamada’s predecessor, then-Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, as an “intentional” show of force by Beijing.
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