U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth concluded a high-stakes visit to Japan this weekend, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima and announcing sweeping new measures to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance amid rising concerns over Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific.
The visit, which included meetings with Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, culminated in the announcement of Phase One of upgrading U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) to a Joint Force Headquarters, marking a major step forward in U.S.-Japan military coordination.
“America is committed to sustaining robust, ready, and credible deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, including across the Taiwan Strait,” Hegseth said.
The command upgrade will align USFJ with Japan’s newly established Joint Operations Command (JJOC), enabling faster bilateral responses to crises and enhancing deterrence against regional threats — most notably from Communist China.
Hegseth and Nakatani held extensive talks focused on expanding joint military exercises, increasing U.S. force presence on Japan’s southwest islands, and co-producing key missile systems such as the AMRAAM and potentially the SM-6. Nakatani described the dialogue as “fruitful and candid,” emphasizing shared urgency in addressing the region’s “severe and complex” security environment.
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“We share a warrior ethos that defines our forces,” Hegseth told Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani at a meeting in Tokyo.
“President Trump has made it very clear, and we reiterate, we are going to put America first. But America first does not mean America alone,” Hegseth said. “America and Japan stand firmly together in the face of aggressive and coercive actions by the Communist Chinese.”
He confirmed that U.S. troop levels in Japan will increase to support the Joint Force Headquarters and hinted at greater access to key locations along the First Island Chain — a strategic zone in the event of a Taiwan contingency.
Minister Nakatani noted that Japan’s specific response would depend on the situation, and any action would comply with the Japanese Constitution and international law.
Both officials declined to give specific figures on Japan’s defense spending increases, but emphasized their shared goal of rapid capability improvements.
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Hegseth’s visit follows closely on the heels of President Donald Trump’s February summit with Prime Minister Ishiba, where the two leaders pledged deeper security ties. The trip also comes amid a broader Trump administration campaign to reassert U.S. strength in the Indo-Pacific, reversing course from what Hegseth called four years of “deferred maintenance on deterrence” under the Biden administration.
The Joint Force Headquarters upgrade is set to expand over the coming months, with added U.S. personnel and resources in Japan. Hegseth emphasized this is just the beginning of a broader strategy to ensure military readiness and interoperability with allies across the Indo-Pacific.
As Japan and the U.S. prepare for the next phase of their alliance, both sides remain laser-focused on the same mission: deterring conflict and preserving peace in one of the most volatile regions in the world.
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