Meeting between Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper

August 7, 2019

On August 7, commencing from around 10:05 a.m. for approximately 15 minutes, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide met with the Honorable Mark Esper, Secretary of Defense of the United States of America, during his visit to Japan. The overiview of the meeting is as follows.

1. At the beginning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga expressed his congratulations to Secretary Esper on his appointment and stated that he is pleased to see that the bond between Japan and the United States have been further strengthened through frequent visits by senior officials. In response, Secretary Esper stated that the Indo-Pacific region is a top priority for the United States and that the U.S.-Japan alliance is a cornerstone of regional peace and prosperity.

2. They reaffirmed their commitment to steadily implement the realignment of the U.S. Forces in Japan, including the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Henoko, and other measures to mitigate impact on Okinawa and other local communities, while maintaining the deterrence of the Japan-U.S. alliance.

3. They exchanged views on the regional situation, and confirmed that they would work together toward CVID by North Korea in light of the latest situation surrounding the country, including the latest missile launch, and that the two countries would continue to closely cooperate with each other, aligning their future policies. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga also requested the U.S. government’s support for the early settlement of the abductions issue, and the two sides confirmed that they would continue to work closely together.