Defense chiefs of US, Japan hold talks on alliance, defense cooperation

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and new Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi held their first in-person talks in Tokyo on Wednesday as Washington and Tokyo strive to strengthen defense cooperation amid China's growing assertiveness and North Korea's advancing military threats. The meeting came a day after Pyongyang test-fired what it called sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea, the latest launch that came on the eve of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. A senior U.S. defense official has said that Hegseth and Koizumi plan to discuss increasing defense capabilities, upgrading command and control frameworks, and improving bilateral training and exercises, among others. Hegseth is on an Asia trip that includes stops in Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea. During his two-day visit to South Korea, set to begin Monday, he plans to travel to the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, attend the two countries' annual defense ministerial talks, called the Security Consultative Meeting, and meetWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times