(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
From today until tomorrow, United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will visit Japan, and tomorrow, October 29, we are scheduled to hold a Japan-U.S. Defense Ministerial Meeting. I believe that Secretary Hegseth’s visit to Japan just one week after I assumed the position of Defense Minister to hold a Defense Ministerial Meeting immediately is extremely significant for the defense of Japan and the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).” I would like to take this opportunity to deepen my personal friendship with Secretary Hegseth in order to build up the person-to-person relationship of trust that is the foundation of the Japan-U.S. Alliance. The Japan-U.S. Alliance is a key pillar of our security policy and the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. I am determined to lead the way, together with my counterpart, Secretary Hegseth, in further strengthening the Alliance’s deterrence and response capabilities so that the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and the U.S. forces, which continue to evolve in line with the current security environment, can exercise their capabilities to the maximum extent. In tomorrow’s Defense Ministerial Meeting, we plan to share our views on the increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region and then discuss specific initiatives for strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. Alliance. During the discussions, I intend to clearly convey the fact that Japan intends to strengthen its defense capabilities and play a role in the peace and security of the region based on its own independent judgment.