TOKYO, Japan — Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a 10-minute phone conference on Friday night to pledge further expansion of defense ties between Tokyo and Washington.
The ministry stated that the call focused on enhancing the deterrence and response capabilities of the bilateral alliance across multiple defense sectors.
The contact marked their eighth interaction—encompassing both telephonic and in-person meetings—and came a day after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reappointed Koizumi during a Cabinet reshuffle.
Both defense leaders agreed to organize an in-person meeting in the near future. During the discussion, Koizumi expressed his intention to deepen coordination with Hegseth and solidify the security alliance, while also confirming plans to proceed with updates to Japan’s three key national security documents.
Hegseth offered his congratulations on Koizumi’s reappointment and expressed a shared desire to deepen close cooperation between both nations.