Japan, U.S. may switch to virtual meeting of foreign, defense chiefs

Japan and the United States are considering changing the planned in-person meeting of their foreign and defense chiefs in January to a virtual format due to the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.Arrangements had been made for Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi to visit Washington for the "two-plus-two" talks with their U.S. counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on Jan. 7.A rapid surge in Omicron cases in the United States has led both sides to …READ FULL ARTICLE