Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held their first in-person talks on Saturday in Naples, Italy, with the pair sharing a ¡°strong sense of crisis,¡± the Defense Ministry said, following ¡°recent military moves around Japan¡± ¡ª a veiled reference to China¡¯s growing assertiveness in the area.
At their meeting, the defense chiefs agreed to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the bilateral alliance, including the effective operation of Japan¡¯s so-called counterstrike capability, while working to improve their command-and-control frameworks, according to the ministry.
In July, the countries¡¯ defense chiefs and top diplomats agreed to one of the biggest upgrades to the U.S.-Japan alliance since its inception, with Washington set to revamp its command in Japan, giving it a ¡°direct leadership role¡± over American forces in operational planning in both peacetime and in potential crises.
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