Japanese government sources say the country’s new Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro is arranging to hold his first meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as early as Wednesday in Tokyo.
Koizumi is expected to tell Hegseth that the government will launch a study with the aim of revising three documents concerning Japan’s national security by the end of next year. The texts include the National Security Strategy.
Koizumi is also likely to explain that the government will work to drastically reinforce Japan’s defense capabilities.
If it goes ahead, the meeting would take place on the last day of US President Donald Trump’s three-day visit to Japan.
Preparations are also being made for Koizumi to visit Yokosuka, a city south of Tokyo, with Trump and Hegseth next week. Yokosuka is Koizumi’s home district.
Koizumi is believed to be aiming to build a personal rapport with Hegseth as part of his efforts to strengthen the Japan-US alliance.
AloJapan.com