Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agreed Tuesday in phone talks to strengthen their countries' alliance, apparently given China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region."We share the awareness that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion are intensifying in the Indo-Pacific region," Nakatani told reporters after he held his first telephone talks with Austin since assuming his post last week.He added that he and Austin affirmed Japan's commitment to working with the United States and regional partners to coll…READ FULL ARTICLE
