Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Friday he and his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, shared serious concern over intensifying tensions in the region in light of the recent radar lock-on incident involving Japanese and Chinese fighter jets and long-range joint patrol by Chinese and Russian bombers near Japan.The two defense chiefs, speaking for about 40 minutes via telephone, agreed that Japan and the United States will maintain close communication to calm the situation.Koizumi also said he is arranging a trip to the United States early next year for his second face-to-face meet…READ FULL ARTICLE
