OAN Staff Blake Wolf
9:17 AM – Sunday, March 30, 2025
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth unveiled a plan to enhance the U.S. military command in Japan, aiming to jointly-counter Chinese aggression in the region.
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Hegeth’s trip to Japan carried President Donald Trump’s promise to increase security cooperation with Japan, calling the nation a “cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.”
“We share a warrior ethos that defines our forces,” Hegseth told Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani during a meeting in Tokyo.
“Japan is an indispensable partner in deterring communist Chinese military aggression,” he continued.
The additional security measure places a combined operational commander in Japan to lead the joint operation command established by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces last week.
Hegseth characterized the new joint military command a “war-fighting headquarters,” while adding that the two allies will frequently conduct joint military exercises in the Okinawa islands near Taiwan.
“America first does not mean America alone,” Hegseth stated. “America and Japan stand firmly together in the face of aggressive and coercive actions by the communist Chinese.”
Hegseth and Nakatani also agreed to jointly produce beyond-visual-range air-to-air AMRAAM missiles, while also considering joint production of SM-6 surface-to-air defense missiles.
The trip comes as Japan has doubled its military spending, purchases longer-range missiles as the country seeks further security measures to deter Chinese aggression.
“I shared how Japan is, through our own part, making efforts to drastically strengthen our defense capabilities,” Nakatani stated.
Additionally, Hegseth visited Iwo Jima, the historic battleground where American and Japanese troops clashed in one of World War II’s fiercest battles, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the conflict.
The prior conflict with Japan is in contrast with the current strong alliance, as Hegseth called Japan a “model ally.”
The country currently hosts 50,000 U.S. military personnel, as well as squadrons of fighter jets and an aircraft carrier strike group.
After the meeting, unnamed Japanese Defense Ministry officials reportedly expressed satisfaction with both the discussions and the establishment of the joint command, having feared that the Trump administration may eliminate it as part of cost saving efforts, according to the New York Times.
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