Commander in Chief, Self Defense Fleet held the last Japan-U.S. Flag Talk with Commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, VADM Karl Thomas.

Commander in Chief of the Self Defense Fleet, Vice Admiral SAITO Akira, held his last and first Japan-U.S. Flag Talk with Commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, and Rear Admiral Frederick William Kacher who is nominated for the next Commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, at the Maritime Operations Center and in the USS Blue Ridge. (7th Fleet flagship)
Both Commanders have built public and private relationship more than ever before and they were also good advisors each other with both for almost a year and two months.
The three admirals confirmed in order to further develop the extremely strong partnership that the Self Defense Fleet and the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet have built together over the 70 years since their establishment, they also shaved recognition that lessons learned from past exercises measures to deal with a unstable situation around Japan and around the world and measures of mutual operations between the two fleets for the future in order to respond swiftly and closely to any contingency with bilateral responses.
The Self-Defense Fleet maintains responsiveness, safeguards the peace and defense of Japan, continues to integrate with allied and like-minded navies and contributes to the stability in the Indo-Pacific region in order to realize a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”