On September 28, Defense Minister Kihara held the first telecon with U.S. Defense Secretary Austin after he took office. In the conference, Defense Minister Kihara stated his determination to fundamentally reinforce defense capabilities as well as to strengthen the Japan-U.S. Alliance and Secretary Austin welcomed the initiative. The Ministers affirmed that they would work closely together than ever before to deter unilateral changes to the status quo by force and such attempts in the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan-U.S. Defense Ministerial Telephone Conference
