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Admiral Paparo, distinguished guests. I am Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister of Defense of Japan.
1. One Ocean's History
I stand before you today with profound emotion.
This year, the United States celebrates its 250th birthday. I extend my heartfelt congratulations.
And this year, the Japan-U.S. Alliance marks its 75th anniversary.
It is also the 75th anniversary of the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty.
Eighty years ago, here at Pearl Harbor and across the Pacific, young people from Japan, America, and around the world lost their lives in the flames of war.
But look at us now.
Today, we stand here shoulder to shoulder as the strongest allies in the world, and as the closest of friends.
At Iwo To Island, fierce battles once raged. Today, on that very island, Japan and the United States hold Reunion of Honor Ceremony every year. There is no other example like this in the world. Last year, my friend Pete became the first Secretary of Defense to attend the ceremony.
Just before coming here, I visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl and paid my deepest tribute and offered flowers to those who fell in battle.
This is the power of true reconciliation. This is the power of peace.
I was born and raised in Yokosuka.
One hundred and sixty years ago, Commodore Perry traveled the Pacific Ocean and arrived at Uraga, where the history between Japan and America began—that very place.
And today, Yokosuka hosts the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces as well as the headquarters of the U.S. Seventh Fleet.
Last October, immediately after I assumed office as Minister of Defense, it was also in Yokosuka where I first met President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and Admiral Paparo, who is here with us today.
For me, Japan's national defense and the Japan-U.S. Alliance are part of my daily life, felt with the sea breeze. They are also the foundation of my journey as a politician.
Today, in this year of great significance for the United States, for the Japan-U.S. Alliance, and for the world, to stand before you—while feeling the Pacific breeze that both Japan and the United States share—is a profound honor.
2. The Reality of Two Oceans
Today, the Indo-Pacific faces a crisis.
Everyone feels it.
First, the routinization of military coercion.
Neighboring nations continue opaque military buildups, and the regional military balance is shifting dramatically and rapidly.
Attempts to change the status quo by force continue in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
Provocative military activities are intensifying on the western and southern sides of the Pacific.
Second, the weaponization of everything.
The weaponization of economy, technology, resources, information, and cyberspace.
The boundary lines between peacetime and contingency, between military and non-military, between truth and fake news—these are no longer clearly visible.
We are already living in such an era.
Third, beginning of an age of uncertainty.
Not merely rising uncertainty, but an uncertain age.
Right now, we can see tensions that are on the brink of war across the globe.
The thinking of aggressors is difficult for those of us living in democracy to predict.
Aggressors may also misjudge the strength of our resolve.
Anything could happen tomorrow. I believe you all share this sense.
We must confront this reality head-on and ensure peace and stability in the region.
3. Realizing FOIP
Looking back through history, new orders have been born precisely in times of difficulty.
Today, I want to share this determination with you.
We, too, can create a better order.
We have three strengths.
First, we have a clear vision: a Free and Open Indo-Pacific or FOIP.
“Free” means that no nation shall be subjected to coercion by force.
“Open” means that every nation can cooperate and contribute by its own will.
This vision is the guiding light for our defense community.
Second, we have the Japan-U.S. Alliance.
Today, the Japan-U.S. Alliance is stronger than at any point in history.
The defense capabilities of both nations, and the Alliance itself, have been and will continue to be a powerful driving force for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the world.
Third, we have "Peace through Strength."
As Secretary Hegseth has made clear, this is not "America alone."
It is a strong determination to join hands with all like-minded nations to embrace peace and prosperity in the region and the world.
I am convinced of this:
When these three strengths—FOIP, the Japan-U.S. Alliance, and Peace through Strength—come together, peace and prosperity in the region will become even more secure.
We have partners who will expand these three strengths together with us.
Those partners are all of you who gathered here today, sharing the same commitment.
Those partners are also the many nations across the Indo-Pacific region that are renewing their resolve to choose their own futures for themselves.
They are strengthening their own defense capabilities and fostering their defense industries.
They are working hard to enhance training, operations, equipment, and industrial bases.
It is the responsibility of our defense community to connect this new dynamism.
We will link each nation's independent efforts like a web, enhance interconnectivity, and generate synergy.
We will layer these networks across the entire region.
By doing so, we will enhance regional resilience against crises, including disasters.
Even when some nations face harassment or coercion, the region as a whole will be able to respond collectively.
Let us build together such a resilient Indo-Pacific region.
4. Japan's Role
Japan will take actions.
First, Japan itself will become stronger.
We are committed to continue working on fundamentally reinforcing our defense capabilities and increasing our defense spending.
With last year's supplementary budget, we achieved the level of defense spending at 2% of GDP ahead of original schedule.
Immediately after taking office last October, Prime Minister Takaichi directed the revision of Japan's National Security Strategy ahead of schedule. Under her leadership, we will revise it within this year.
We will also continue to respond to any crisis in a resolute and calm manner.
Second, we will further strengthen the Japan-U.S. Alliance.
The number of Japan-U.S. joint training has more than doubled over the past decade.
And now, from California in the east to the Gulf of Aden in the western Indian Ocean, Japan and the United States are operating and contributing together across the entire Indo-Pacific region.
We will further strengthen this Alliance.
We will upgrade our command and control framework and further enhance bilateral coordination across all phases, from peacetime to contingencies.
In particular, we will expand Japan-U.S. bilateral joint presence in Japan's southwestern region.
We will co-produce and co-sustain equipment and strengthen our industrial bases together.
Third, we will spread a multilayered network of interconnectivity across the entire region.
Australia, the Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Together with them and all the partner nations, we will enhance interconnectivity in training, operations, equipment, and industrial bases across the region, and generate synergy.
There are already many frameworks in this region, namely: the Australia-Japan-U.S., Japan-ROK-U.S., Australia-Japan-Philippines-U.S., Australia-India-Japan-U.S., and ADMM-Plus.
We will connect these frameworks to each other and transform them into a greater force for the entire region.
We will deepen our cooperation in cyber and space domains, and enhance regional resilience.
And now this web of interconnectivity is expanding to Europe as well.
5. An Era Where Three Oceans Are Connected
In 2007, Japan’s then-Prime Minister Abe delivered a speech titled "Confluence of the Two Seas" in the Indian Parliament. In the speech, he declared that "the Pacific and the Indian Ocean are now bringing about a dynamic coupling as seas of freedom and prosperity."
Today, these "two seas" have expanded to three.
The Pacific, the Indian, and the Atlantic Oceans.
There is a phrase that comes up naturally whenever I meet European friends.
It is: "The Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic are inseparable and indivisible."
Yesterday, I witnessed the flags of fourteen nations flying at a Japanese paratroopers’ exercise—including Belgium and Türkiye participating for the first time, alongside France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
The vision of FOIP is no longer limited to the Indo-Pacific.
This is what we have accomplished together over the ten years since FOIP was first proposed.
The entire world hopes for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
This shared aspiration is the light that illuminates our path.
Today, on the tenth anniversary of FOIP, I declare before you:
Japan is committed to evolving the Free and Open Indo-Pacific. I will dedicate my full efforts to ensure the peace and prosperity of this region from a defense perspective.
In the United States, “Make America Great Again” or MAGA is a concept valued by many in the Trump Administration.
To conclude, I would like to share my own version of MAGA with you:
“Make the Alliance Great Always.”
Thank you very much.
[LINK] Defense Minister Koizumi’s Visit to the United States (Summary)
[LINK] Keynote Address by Shinjirō Koizumi, Minister of Defense of Japan | HDF 2026 (YouTube)