Overview

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken held meetings with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo, highlighting the U.S.-Japan alliance as a cornerstone of regional security.
• Discussions included the importance of U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation to ensure stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Blinken and Japanese officials condemned China's destabilizing actions in the South China Sea and reaffirmed support for maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait.
• The meetings addressed concerns over North Korea's military ties with Russia and China's support for Russia's defense sector during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
• Blinken reassured Japan of the United States' unwavering commitment to its defense, seeking to alleviate concerns about the alliance's future following Donald Trump's imminent return to the presidency.