CEBU, Philippines - Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed Wednesday in the Philippines the importance of increased defense investment and continued strategic alignment to strengthen the deterrence of the bilateral security alliance amid rising military activities by China.
The ministers agreed on efforts to "implement an effective denial defense in the First Island Chain," an area east of China's coast that includes Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, according to the U.S. Defense Department.
Koizumi, who is visiting Cebu to attend ASEAN-related defense gatherings, briefed Hegseth on ongoing work to update Japan's security strategy and related documents by the end of the year.
The two defense chiefs also confirmed that talks will continue on preventive measures following the arrest of a U.S. Marine earlier this month on suspicion of robbing and murdering a woman in Okinawa Prefecture.
Also on Koizumi's itinerary Wednesday are other bilateral and multinational gatherings on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting.
He will attend the meeting's expanded version slated for Thursday, which is expected to bring together representatives of the 11 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its eight dialogue partners, also including Australia, China, India, New Zealand, South Korea and Russia.
