On January 17, State Minister of Defense Oniki received a courtesy call from LtGen Bierman, Commanding General, III Marine Expeditionary Force. State Minister Oniki conveyed “The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star” to LtGen Bierman and offered his congratulations.
State Minister Oniki also expressed his expectation that the Japan Self Defense Force and the U.S. Marine Corps continue to closely cooperate and strive to strengthen Japan-U.S. Alliance as well as to realize a Free and Open Indo-Pacific in light of the increasingly severe security environment, including the ballistic missile launch by North Korea on January 14.
