U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is planning to visit Japan next week to meet with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, it was learned Wednesday.
Through the visit, Japan and the U.S. aim to confirm their intention to further beef up their alliance before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, Japanese government sources said.
Austin and Nakatani met in Italy in October and in Australia last month, so they will be meeting for the third consecutive month if Austin makes the visit.
The defense chiefs are seen agreeing on the need to continue the strengthening of deterrence and response capabilities, promoted under the administration of current U.S. President Joe Biden, as North Korea continues its nuclear and missile development and as China ramps up coercive actions.
They are also expected to agree on deepening defense cooperation in the domain of space, after the U.S. Space Force’s Japan unit, set up at the Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, officially began operations Wednesday.