Meeting between Defense Minister Iwaya and Acting Secretary of Defense Secretary Shanahan

June 4, 2019

Ministry of Defense


On June 4, 2019, Minister Iwaya and Acting Secretary of Defense Shanahan held a meeting from 12:25 pm for about 70 minutes at the Ministry of Defense. The summary is as follows.


1. Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Minister Iwaya welcomed Indo-Pacific Strategy Report (IPSR) recently announced by the Department of Defense (DoD) and both sides confirmed that they will closely coordinate in implementing the efforts based on the strategy documents of both countries including efforts described in IPSR, in accordance with the policies agreed at Japan-U.S. “2+2” Meeting. Sharing a sense of urgency, both sides confirmed the necessity to deepen Japan-U.S. cooperation in new domains such as space, cyberspace and electromagnetic spectrum. Both sides agreed to promote Japan-U.S. cooperation for crossdomain operations including enhanced operational cooperation by improving the interoperability and verification of bilateral cooperation procedures through various exercises.

2. Free and Open Indo-Pacific Both sides renewed their shared recognition about the importance of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific. Minister Iwaya expressed his intent to strengthen the cooperation with the U.S.’s efforts to maintain and strengthen the Free and Open Indo-Pacific laid out in IPSR. Both sides confirmed the significance of the cooperation with various partners.


3. Regional affairs Both sides exchanged opinions based on the recent developments surrounding North Korean issues, and confirmed the importance of supporting the full implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions for a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of all North Korea’s WMD and ballistic missiles of all ranges. Both sides confirmed continued and close coordination between Japan and the U.S. and between Japan, Republic of Korea,
and the U.S.. In regards to the East and South China Seas, both sides expressed their serious concern and strong opposition toward unilateral attempts to change the status-quo by coercion, and confirmed to make continued effort in working closely together. Both sides confirmed the importance of cooperating to make sure the Rule of Law and Freedom of Navigation are established.


4. The U.S. Forces in Japan Minister Iwaya requested for cooperation in the Government of Japan’s efforts to mitigate impact on the local communities including Okinawa. Both sides confirmed to work closely together for the steady implementation of the U.S. forces realignment initiatives including the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma to Henoko. Minister Iwaya also requested the U.S. Forces to minimize its operational impact on the local communities including noise of transient aircrafts. Both sides also affirmed the importance to ensure the safe operations of the U.S. Forces.

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