Tag - gen-nakatani

 
 

GEN NAKATANI

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks to reporters in Tokyo on April 11.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2025
Japan defense chief says 'no reason' to change current U.S. troop deal
Gen Nakatani said that spending “is appropriately shared between the Japanese and U.S. governments based on mutual agreement, with a set time frame.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte speaks during a forum at Keio University in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 9, 2025
NATO chief calls on allies and partners to ‘outproduce and outpace’ rivals
In Tokyo on Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called on members of the alliance and its four Indo-Pacific partners to work more closely together.
At the launch ceremony on Sunday of the Self-Defense Forces Maritime Transport Group in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani presents the unit's group flag.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2025
Inaugural ceremony held for Japan SDF's Maritime Transport Group
The Maritime Transport Group was launched on March 24 as a unit jointly run by the Ground, Maritime and Air Self Defense Forces under the direct oversight of the defense minister.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chat after reviewing an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 31, 2025
On defense, Japan may avoid Trump's worst impulses — for now
In his first official trip to Japan, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to have been looking to tamp down on concerns in Tokyo.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (left) and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo ahead of their talks Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 30, 2025
In Tokyo, Pentagon chief provides assurances that Japan-U.S. alliance remains robust
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described Japan as an “indispensable partner” in confronting China and sought to dispel lingering unease in Tokyo.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani pose for a photo on Ioto, the far-flung Japanese island known widely as Iwo Jima, on Saturday for an event honoring those who died in bloody fighting there 80 years ago during World War II.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 29, 2025
Pentagon chief joins war memorial ceremony on first visit to Japan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the alliance with Japan key to peace in the region, a view he said “will continue.”
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro assists Defense Minister Gen Nakatani as he signs a guest book prior to their bilateral meeting at a hotel in Manila on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 24, 2025
Japan and Philippines to establish high-level defense gear framework
The two sides also agreed to establish a “strategic dialogue” between the Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine Armed Forces to deepen operational collaboration.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani holds a news conference at the Defense Ministry on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 13, 2025
Japan and U.S. defense chiefs to meet as early as March
The two top defense officials may together attend a Japan-U.S. joint memorial service on March 29 on the Pacific island of Ioto, also known as Iwo Jima.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks during a news conference at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2025
Japan conveys serious concerns during rare visit by Chinese military delegation
The visit by the group from the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command, which covers Taiwan and other areas in the East China Sea, was the first in five years.
U.K. Secretary of State for Defence John Healey (center left) shakes hands with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (center right) at the Ministry of Defence in London on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2025
Japan and U.K. defense chiefs talk of deepening ties as fighter program progresses
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his British counterpart backed the quick formation of a joint venture for developing their new fighter jet with Italy.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (left) meets with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki at the Okinawa Prefectural Government Office on Sunday.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2024
Okinawa governor seeks timetable for transfer of U.S. marines
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Sunday called on the government to provide a concrete timetable for the transfer of U.S. Marines in Okinawa to Guam, following the recent start of the relocation.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani met in Italy in October and in Australia last month, so they will be meeting for the third consecutive month if Austin visits Japan next week.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2024
U.S. Defense Secretary Austin planning to visit Japan next week
Japan and the U.S. aim to confirm their intention to further beef up their alliance, Japanese government sources said.
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga sail in formation with 16 other ships from the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as aircraft from the U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force fly overhead in formation during the Keen Sword exercise in the Philippine Sea on Nov. 8, 2018.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 18, 2024
Japan, Australia and U.S. boost collective deterrence efforts amid China concerns
The coordination will see the Ground Self‑Defense Force take part regularly in annual amphibious training drills in Australia involving U.S. Marines.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani welcomed U.S. plans to set up space forces in Japan during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Darwin, Australia, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2024
U.S. to set up space forces in Japan in December
The move is aimed at further advancing cooperation in the space domain to counter security threats from China and Russia.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani visited a South Korean naval ship in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2024
Japan defense chief visits South Korean naval ship
The visit marks the first time Japan's defense minister has boarded a South Korean military vessel, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.
Group of Seven defense chiefs attend the grouping's first-ever defense ministers' meeting in Naples, Italy, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2024
G7 defense chiefs voice concern over Chinese military drills around Taiwan
The defense chiefs singled out China over a number of concerns, though their decision to emphasize Taiwan, in particular, is unlikely to go over well in Beijing.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2024
Japan and U.S. defense chiefs voice 'sense of crisis' amid China military moves
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also agreed to work toward bolstering their command-and-control frameworks.
Gen Nakatani (center), who was named defense minister last week, attends an extraordinary session of the Lower House at parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 1.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2024
U.S. and Japan defense chiefs agree to beef up Nansei Islands presence
Two controversial proposals put by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba — an Asian version of NATO or revising the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement — were not discussed.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, 66, has experience as the onetime head of Japan’s former Defense Agency before it became a full-fledged ministry and is seen as a pair of steady hands.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 2, 2024
Ishiba looks to 'defense tribe' to fill key Cabinet positions
The new prime minister has named four former defense ministers to key posts — most notably, the defense and foreign affairs portfolios.
Gen Nakatani, then-special adviser to the prime minister for international human rights, speaks at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in March 2022
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 1, 2023
Kishida’s puzzling decision to ax his human rights adviser
Why did the prime minister eliminate the post of special adviser on human rights from the Cabinet and what does this mean for Tokyo's foreign policy?

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