Overview
- In their first Tokyo meeting, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Japan will lift defense spending to 2% of GDP by March, two years ahead of plan.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed the acceleration and said Washington expects swift implementation without having sought a specific figure.
- Both officials described a sharply worsening security environment, citing China’s rapid, opaque military buildup.
- The talks focused on strengthening operations, including command-and-control upgrades and expanded bilateral training and exercises.
- Hegseth said initial personnel are in place for a new U.S. headquarters in Japan and later told troops at Yokota that credible deterrence requires warfighting capability.