Japan, U.S. Defense Chiefs Confirm Strengthening Alliance’s Deterrence, Response; First In-Person Meeting of Defense Chiefs, in Naples, Italy

By Naohiro Tamura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

15:09 JST, October 20, 2024

NAPLES, Italy — Japan and the United States will strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed in their first in-person meeting, in Naples, Italy, on Saturday.

“I want to form a scrum on all efforts to strengthen the alliance and to work closely together as a team,” Nakatani, who was visiting Italy, said at the beginning of the meeting. In response, Austin said the U.S. commitment to Japan’s defense remains unwavering.

The defense chiefs also agreed to work together to accelerate upgrading the command-and-control frameworks of the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military. The two countries are currently reviewing each other’s defense frameworks.

As part of the upgrade, Japan will create the JSDF Joint Operations Command for the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense forces at the end of this fiscal year, while the United States will reorganize the United States Forces Japan into a joint force headquarters.

It was not made clear whether the meeting touched upon a possible review of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been advocating for the review.