Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell provided the following statement:
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth traveled to Japan this week to meet with Japanese counterparts and U.S. military leadership in support of the Department's efforts to reestablish deterrence, strengthen our Alliance, and advance our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
On March 29, Secretary Hegseth participated in a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. In his remarks, the Secretary reaffirmed that the U.S.-Japan Alliance remains the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
On March 30, Secretary Hegseth met with Defense Minister Nakatani, where the two discussed concrete steps to deepen defense cooperation across a range of areas, including through enhancing bilateral training and exercises, strengthening Alliance force posture and presence, including in Japan's Southwest Islands, and promoting defense equipment and technology cooperation.
The Secretary also announced the commencement of Phase One of the upgrade of U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) to a Joint Force Headquarters, in line with the President and Prime Minister's joint statement from February 7 to upgrade the respective command and control frameworks of U.S. and Japanese forces. The upgrade of USFJ, matched with Japan's establishment of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Joint Operations Command (JJOC), will improve the ability of the U.S. and Japan to coordinate bilateral operations, increase our readiness to respond to a contingency or crisis, and reestablish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region. Both actions will allow for more seamless coordination between U.S. and Japanese forces in peacetime or in crisis.
Secretary Hegseth also met with Prime Minister Ishiba to celebrate the strength of the U.S.-Japan Alliance, demonstrated at the meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Ishiba on February 7, and to underscore the United States' commitment to the defense of Japan.
Before departing, the Secretary visited USFJ Headquarters to meet with the Commander of USFJ and our servicemembers stationed at Yokota Air Base.
