The Japanese and U.S. governments are coordinating to hold a meeting between their defense chiefs in Tokyo as early as late March, it was learned Wednesday.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are expected to reaffirm the importance of strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance and discuss ways to improve command and control coordination between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military.
A specific schedule for the Nakatani-Hegseth meeting will be decided by taking into account the Diet proceedings in Japan and the possibility of Hegseth visiting other parts of or around East Asia before or after visiting Japan, a Japanese government source said.
Nakatani and Hegseth had phone talks on Jan. 31, and the possible face-to-face meeting will be their first.
Following last week's summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump, the defense chiefs are expected to reaffirm close security cooperation and exchange views on an early "two-plus-two meeting" of the two countries' defense and foreign ministers.
Nakatani and Hegseth may together attend a Japan-U.S. joint memorial service on March 29 on the Pacific island of Ioto, also known as Iwo Jima, which was a fierce battlefield in the Pacific War.
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