U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited Ioto, the far-flung Japanese island known widely as Iwo Jima, on Saturday as part of his first visit to Japan as defense chief for an event honoring those who died in bloody fighting there 80 years ago during World War II.
“The U.S.-Japan alliance shows those brave men of 1945 — yesterday's enemy — has become today's friend,” Hegseth told a jointly held ceremony on the island. “As we remember the many who gave their lives here for the peace we now enjoy, let us recommit ourselves to our friendship and to our alliance.”
Hegseth, who is due to hold talks with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Sunday in Tokyo, the final leg of his first visit to Asia, was visiting amid a growing scandal over leaked details about U.S. military strikes on Yemen earlier this month and concerns in Japan about the resilience of U.S. President Donald Trump’s commitment to the alliance.
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