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▼ Japan Defense Minister To Visit U.S. Next Week To Reaffirm Strong Alliance
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Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Friday that he is set to make a weeklong trip to the United States next week to cement the bilateral alliance in the face of an increasingly severe security environment in the Asia-Pacific region.
Koizumi told a regular press conference that he will deliver a speech at the Honolulu Defense Forum in Hawaii on Monday before traveling to Los Angeles the following day and then to Washington, where he will meet with counterpart Pete Hegseth on Thursday.
"With Secretary Hegseth, I plan to have a frank discussion about the security environment as well as specific efforts to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and response capabilities further," Koizumi said. He is scheduled to return to Japan on Jan. 18.
The two defense chiefs will speak for the fourth time since Koizumi assumed the post last October, reflecting their need to work together to overcome security challenges from nations such as China and North Korea.
They held phone talks last month after Chinese military aircraft locked radar on Japanese Self-Defense Forces fighter jets over international waters off Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
In Honolulu, Koizumi is also scheduled to meet with Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
In Los Angeles, Koizumi plans to visit a drone-related company and attend a reception commemorating the 15th anniversary of Operation Tomodachi, the rescue and relief efforts jointly conducted by the U.S. military and Japan's Self-Defense Forces in the wake of the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
When asked how he would respond if urged by Hegseth to voice support for the recent U.S. actions in Venezuela, Koizumi was noncommittal, saying, "It's difficult to answer before the meeting."
He then said it is "important (for the international community) to make diplomatic efforts to restore democracy and stabilize the situation in Venezuela."
The United States launched a military attack on Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro and his wife last week, subsequently taking them to New York to face charges for alleged crimes.
Koizumi told a regular press conference that he will deliver a speech at the Honolulu Defense Forum in Hawaii on Monday before traveling to Los Angeles the following day and then to Washington, where he will meet with counterpart Pete Hegseth on Thursday.
"With Secretary Hegseth, I plan to have a frank discussion about the security environment as well as specific efforts to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and response capabilities further," Koizumi said. He is scheduled to return to Japan on Jan. 18.
The two defense chiefs will speak for the fourth time since Koizumi assumed the post last October, reflecting their need to work together to overcome security challenges from nations such as China and North Korea.
They held phone talks last month after Chinese military aircraft locked radar on Japanese Self-Defense Forces fighter jets over international waters off Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
In Honolulu, Koizumi is also scheduled to meet with Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
In Los Angeles, Koizumi plans to visit a drone-related company and attend a reception commemorating the 15th anniversary of Operation Tomodachi, the rescue and relief efforts jointly conducted by the U.S. military and Japan's Self-Defense Forces in the wake of the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
When asked how he would respond if urged by Hegseth to voice support for the recent U.S. actions in Venezuela, Koizumi was noncommittal, saying, "It's difficult to answer before the meeting."
He then said it is "important (for the international community) to make diplomatic efforts to restore democracy and stabilize the situation in Venezuela."
The United States launched a military attack on Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro and his wife last week, subsequently taking them to New York to face charges for alleged crimes.
- 9/1 18:49
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