Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Joint Press Conference With Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in Tokyo

View Online Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Joint Press Conference With Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in Tokyo March 29, 2025 MODERATOR (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I would like to start the joint press conference by the Japanese Defense Minister and the US sector Secretary of Defense First, we will have opening remarks From Defense Minister Nakatani. DEFENSE MINISTER GEN NAKATANI (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I'm honored to be able to welcome Secretary Hegseth to the Ministry of Defense today. We were able to welcome the secretary with a guard of honor and also with cherry blossoms in full bloom across the honor guard square. It was just like as if the flowers were celebrating with us the bright future of the alliance ahead of us. Earlier today, we held a candid and a fruitful meeting of progress approximately 85 minutes. We shared recognition on the increasingly severe and complex security environment and confirmed our resolution to move forward with a sense of urgency on initiatives to strengthen our respective defense capabilities and to re-import the alliance capabilities to the target and respond. During the ministerial meeting, we welcome progress on our respective command and control structures, including all year establishment of the Japan Self Defense Force Joint Operation Command, or JJOC, we will continue to accelerate our efforts to improve interoperability and conduct further effective bilateral joint activities across the spectrum, from peacetime to contingency. The expansion of our bilateral presence in southwestern region of Japan is the one of the top priorities for the Alliance. At Japan's own initiative, we will continue to strengthen our defense posture in the southwestern region and strive to conduct more sophisticated and realistic bilateral trainings and exercises while gaining their standing local communities. It is a wider task for us, for both defense industries to support each other, to complement each other through co-development, co-production, co-sustainment and other initiatives, especially the stable delivery of missiles, is crucial for both sides. Under the framework of defense industrial cooperation, acquisition and sustainment forum, DICAS for short, we affirm to expedite efforts to start co-production of advanced mid-range air to air Missile or AMRAAM, as early as we can in action. And I conveyed my intention to pursue the possibility of co-production of surface to air missile SM-6 as well. We also affirm to advance multilateral cooperation with regional partners, including Australia, the Republic of Korea and the Philippines, in order to prevent any attempts to change the status quo by force of origin and to realize a free and open Indo Pacific. In addition, we confirmed the importance of the steady implementation of the realignment U.S. Forces Japan, in accordance with Okinawa conservation plan, including total return of Marine Corps Air Station, (inaudible), excuse me, including the return of Marine Corps Air Station (inaudible). And we also confirmed the importance of gaining understanding of local communities for strengthening and maintaining the Alliance. In addition, we affirm to balance the cooperation in order to prevent recurrence of incidents and accidents involving U.S. forces. I share with Secretary Hegseth the experience of serving as a soldier in an infantry unit. I said, as a ranger instructor, I used to live with the service members and train with them. And Secretary Hegseth has experience in Iraq and Afghanistan as a platoon leader and has a warrior spirit. I look forward to continuing to proceed forward down the road to a strong alliance with Secretary Hegseth while carrying heavy burden, which is our solemn mission of national defense. And I look forward to working together for the Alliance and for the peace across the world, as well as for the stability in the region. And I believe this meeting was a great success. We were able to share, as defense ministers, our spirit as a leader of defense authorities, and also we share our recognition of the international security environment, and we could have been able to share our understandings. So I believe it was a great success. Thank you MODERATOR (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): So then we would like to welcome Secretary Hegseth for his opening remarks. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PETE HEGSETH: Well, Minister Nakatani, I agree, it was a great success. Thank you. It's great to be here. We had a chance early in my tenure to speak over the phone. We've met a number of times and quickly developed a great relationship, like two long lost infantrymen. It doesn't surprise me, we speak the same language. Understand…we don't speak the same language, but we speak the same language. And we understand what threats look like, what camaraderie means, what brotherhood means and standing shoulder to shoulder. So thank you again for hosting us in Tokyo. Thank you. And it was a privilege to be with you at the Reunion of Honor ceremony yesterday. As we said, clearly, today's meetings have affirmed the extraordinary strength of America's alliance with Japan. After today's discussion, it is clear to me that our alliance is the cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo Pacific. As you know President Trump has said, America will reestablish peace through strength. President Trump has also made it very clear, and we reiterate, we are going to put America first. But America first does not mean America alone. America's warriors stand shoulder to shoulder every day with their Japan Self Defense Force counterparts. Our forces operate and train together across all domains to uphold deterrence. America and Japan stand firmly together in the face of aggressive and coercive actions by the Communist Chinese. America is committed to sustaining robust, ready and credible deterrence in the Indo Pacific, including across the Taiwan Strait. Japan would be on the front lines of any contingency we might face in the western Pacific and we stand together in support of each other. That's why today, Minister Nakatani and I talked about the severe and urgent security environment around Japan. And we discussed what we're going to do about it. We have a robust alliance agenda that will strengthen our deterrence posture, keep the enemy guessing, creating dilemmas for them, and ensure that we achieve peace through strength. As I mentioned, this means ensuring that we have the right posture in Japan and the right capabilities forward deployed here, whether permanent or temporary. It also means expanding access to key terrain here in the first island chain, such as Japan's southwest islands. And certainly it means exercising together at those critical locations. And with that, I want to announce that the Defense Department has started phase one of upgrading U.S. Forces Japan to a Joint Force Headquarters. This upgrade will improve our ability to coordinate operations with Japan's own Joint Operations Command, or JJOC, and we certainly welcome JJOC establishment this past week. It's more urgency. It's more cooperation in real time. It also increases our readiness to respond to contingency or crisis, support U.S. operations and help Japan and U.S. forces defend this territory. Soon, we will add additional personnel in Tokyo and at U.S. Forces Japan Headquarters to conduct activities that will strengthen our bilateral bonds and deepen our operational cooperation. This also means reorganizing U.S. Forces Japan into a war fighting headquarters. Increasing its staff and giving its commander the authorities needed to accomplish new missions. As I mentioned in our meeting America and Japan, we seek peace. But as my first platoon motto says, "those who long for peace must prepare for war." We must be prepared. We look forward to working closely together as we improve our war fighting capabilities, our lethality and our readiness. And just for a moment, before we take questions, one other thing I'd be remiss in not mentioning publicly is that at the Defense Department, our heart and prayers continue in an unrelated but powerful matter, continue to go out to the soldiers and families impacted by the ongoing recovery operation for four missing U.S. soldiers in Lithuania. We continue to monitor the situation very closely, and it's a reminder, no matter whether it's an actual combat situation, whether it's training or exercises, nothing in the world of soldiering is routine. It all comes with danger and with risks, and we're thinking about those soldiers and their families today, and with that welcome questions. MODERATOR: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Now we will be take questions. I ask for your kind understanding that we have a limited time for the question and answers as the ministers have another engagement today. For those who will asking a question, please wait to be acknowledged. Also, please state your name and affiliation and indicate for whom your question is intended. We will be taking Japanese press first. Q (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): This is Nakatani from Nikkei newspaper. My question is intended both for Defense Minister Nakatani and Secretary Hegseth. First for Minister Nakatani, during the meeting, was the subject of Japan's defense planning and host nation support, or (illegible), was raised. Then for Secretary Hegseth, as the security environment innovation is increasingly severe by when, and to what extent do you think Japan should increase its defense spending? Also, the chair conveys specific figures to Defense Minister Nakatani during today's meeting. Moreover, there were media reports about the halt to your operating of USFJ. What did you discuss during the meeting of command and control, and what is the desirable state of command and control structure for you? Thank you. MINISTER NAKATANI (THROUGH TRANSLATOR):  During today's meeting, Japan and the U.S.  discussed strategic matters, and we discussed a lot of practical matters, and we gained concurrence on many of those points. As we were discussing about the severe security environment facing Japan, both sides confirmed the need to strengthen Japan, U.S. Alliance, deterrence and the response capabilities. And during our discussions, I steered how Japan is through our own part making strong efforts to drastically strengthen our defense capabilities. And I conveyed our efforts to fundamentally strengthen defense capabilities. And within that, what mattered the most is the content of the capabilities, and it is important that Japan is responsible and proceeds forward at its own discretion. This the most severe security environment that Japan has encountered since the end of the war. Japan will continuously assess and take any steps based on its national security strategy and other policies to strengthen its deterrence and response capabilities. I have explained those points during today's meetings and gain understanding, understanding from the U.S. side. There were no discussion about this specific figures and concerning the host nation support, it was not discussed during today's meetings. With that being said, the Ministry of Defense is going to communicate closely with the Trump administration, including Secretary Hegseth, this in order to further strengthen allies, capabilities to deter and respond. MODERATOR: Secretary Hegseth, the floor is yours. SECRETARY HEGSETH: Thank you. I agree with the minister's characterization. We certainly agreed…well, we agreed across the board, but most urgently about the strategic situation, about the severe nature of the threat. Both of us understand the urgency of it and the importance of reestablishing deterrence. It's something I talk about all the time with our own military. Reviving the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military and restoring deterrence. Those are the three pillars of what President Trump's Pentagon is trying to do to make sure we're prepared as much as possible. So no, we did not talk specific numbers about Japanese defense spending. We're confident that Japan will make the correct determination of what capabilities are needed inside our alliance to make sure we're standing shoulder to shoulder. And there are they have been a model ally, and we have no doubt that will continue. But we also both recognize everybody needs to do more. We all need to do, not just by… every single metric, our cooperation, our exercises, every aspect of this relationship should draw stronger and more robust, and that makes it more likely we're able to deter which makes it more likely that we have peace. Which is certainly what President Trump wants, what I want, what The American people want and what this alliance is built up. Q: Bill Gertz with the Washington Times, my question too is for both leaders. China's leader has ordered his forces to be ready to annex Taiwan by 2027. For Secretary Hegseth how important is preventing Chinese attack on Taiwan to your policy of restoring deterrence? And for Mr. Minister, if China does attack, will Japan join us and other allies in the campaign? MODERATOR (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We'd like to welcome the secretary to answer first. SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, it's great question. It's the right question. There's a reason we use the phrase reestablished deterrence, because the Trump administration arrived after four years of deferred maintenance on deterrence. What happened with the invasion in Ukraine never would have happened if President Trump was in that position. October 7, what happened in Israel never would have happened. The tragedy, the travesty that was 13 soldiers, as well as the collapse in Afghanistan and the shame that came with it, never would have happened. Those incidents and others, including the nature of our relationships with our allies, created a vacuum, a perception that America was not strong and wasn't prepared to deter conflicts from starting. Now, those things may not have occurred in this part of the world, however, the signals we're seeing in capitals around the globe. Our job now, at this moment, here with our allies, is to say we are reestablishing deterrence. Peace through strength with America in the lead is back. And we will ensure in every way that we are leaning forward in that deterrence posture. Because we don't want to live in a day where an action like that is taken. President Trump has a lot of great relationships with world leaders. He will leverage those. He will leverage other economic relationships as he does so well. Our job at the Defense Department, with our friends and on the military side, is to build an alliance so robust that both the reality and the perception of deterrence is real and ongoing. So that the Communist Chinese don't take the aggressive actions that some have contemplated they will. So our job is to maintain peace by being strong, and I think with President Trump in the lead and with our alongside our allies and partners, that's something we can do. MINISTER NAKATANI (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Japan's position remains the same, that peace and stability across Taiwan Strait is important for Japan's national security and for the stability across the international community. And that we expect peaceful resolution of cross-trade issue through dialog during the summit meeting in February and during today's meeting as well, both sides shared that cross-Strait, peace and stability is important. Self Defense Forces and Ministry of Defense has been conducting various trainings and exercise assuming response to every possible situation. And we have been conducting Japan, U.S. bilateral training to this end. We will continue our consideration and take the utmost efforts to safeguard depends territorial land, sea and airspace. For this specific response, decision would be made based on the respected and specific situations. Therefore, it will be difficult to give you a general answer. In any case, we will be considering this specific response based on the constitution, international law and our domestic legislation. Thank you. MODERATOR (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): As we are running out of time I would have to close the joint press conference now.

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