On August 16, Defense Minister Hamada held a first telecon after his appointment with U.S. Defense Secretary Austin. In the conference, Defense Minister Hamada resolved to fundamentally reinforce the defense capabilities of Japan through formulation of National Security Strategy and other documents and Secretary Austin welcomed the initiative. The Ministers strongly condemned China’s ballistic missile launch early this month and confirmed that both sides would cooperate closely and seamlessly in order to respond to any situation.
Japan-U.S. Defense Ministerial Telephone Conference
