On January 28th, 2026, the Hon. Elbridge Colby, the U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy visited Ministry of Defense. Vice-Minister of Defense Yamato received a courtesy call, and Vice-Minister of Defense for International Affairs Kano held a meeting with Under Secretary Colby.
In the meetings, they discussed increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, and based on the outcomes of the Defense Ministerial Meeting held on January 15th, they confirmed the critical role both countries play to reinforce the Japan-U.S. Alliance capabilities to deter and respond.
