
Cookies served at the Japan-U.S. defense ministers’ meeting in May
16:04 JST, June 15, 2022
A relationship can be deepened after an unexpected incident. For Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, it was a conversation over cookies.
At a Japan-U.S. defense ministers’ meeting at the U.S. Department of Defense on May 4, cookies decorated with icing depicting the two countries’ national flags were served. The flags, adapted to the round shape of the cookies, were surrounded by a border of cream piping.
Kishi was looking forward to taking them to eat later, as he has a sweet tooth.
Just after the meeting started, Austin, looking concerned, informed Kishi of stains on the sleeve of his shirt. It was the cream. Kishi was disappointed that he would not be able to take the cookies back home, but then Austin said that another set of cookies would be provided as souvenirs.
The meeting progressed smoothly, and the two moved into a separate room afterwards for talks on the reliability of the U.S. expanded deterrence, including through its nuclear umbrella.
The two defense chiefs had already held talks seven times, some over the phone. But for Kishi, it was the first time he got a feel for the kind of person Austin was.
“He is a person of integrity, who pays attention to details,” Kishi said of Austin.
After returning to Japan, Kishi posted a message on his Instagram account, saying: “I could not eat the Japan-U.S. cookies during the meeting. I fully enjoyed them after coming back.”
Unlike the colorful confections, the security environment surrounding Japan and the United States is not really sweet, with heightened threats from Russia, China and North Korea. Expectations are high for Kishi and Austin, who seem to have deepened their trust in each other.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japan Presses U.S. to Scrap 25% Auto Tariffs as Ishiba Refuses Partial Trade Deal; No Deal Without ‘Total Rollback’
-
LDP to Forgo Compiling Selective Surname Bill During Current Diet Session
-
Japanese Govt on High Alert after Chinese Aircraft Intrusion into Territorial Airspace near Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Pref.
-
Japan Wary of ASEAN Members Shifting Away from U.S.; Ishiba Hopes to Limit Spread of China’s Economic Influence
-
Government Sounding Board Flooded With Identical Comments; Experts Warn of Distorted Picture of Public Opinion
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Core Inflation in Japan’s Capital Sharply Accelerates in April
-
U.S. Holds Fire Over Yen Exchange Rate Targets; Bessent Said to Understand Negative Impact on Markets
-
Japanese Govt Mulls Raising Number of Cars to be Imported Under Simplified Screen System in U.S. Tariff Negotiations
-
Rice Prices Rise for 15th Straight Week, with Releases of Stockpiled Rice Slow to Circulate
-
Japan Must Take Lead in Maintaining Free Trade System, Says Chairman of Japan Trade Group