New U.S. Secretary of Defense GEN Austin
On the 24th, he talked with the Japanese and South Korean defense ministers respectively by phone.
Austin said
Willing to further consolidate the alliance between the United States, Japan and the United States and South Korea
Towards early face-to-face talks
Japan-US Defense Minister on the phone
The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen the Japan-US alliance.
According to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, on January 24, the new U.S. Defense Secretary Austin held a telephone conversation with Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.
The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen the Japan-US alliance.
According to the Ministry of Defense of Japan, Nobuo Kishi and Austin agreed that the Japan-US alliance plays a key role in achieving regional stability.
The two sides also believe that it is necessary to cooperate with different partners within and outside the region to maintain and strengthen the freedom and openness of the Indo-Pacific region.
During the talks, the two defense ministers reaffirmed that the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands are the subject of application of Article V of the Japan-US Security Treaty. According to this article, the United States is obliged to protect Japan in the event of an armed attack.
The two sides also agreed to promote the “complete, verifiable and irreversible abandonment” of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
According to the report, the two sides agreed to strive to reach an agreement quickly in the Japan-US negotiations to determine the funding burden of the U.S. military’s presence in Japan after 2021.
The two agreed that in the increasingly severe security environment around Japan, the rapid response of the U.S. military in Japan is very important.
Austin expressed his intention to visit Japan as early as possible.
The Japanese and American governments will strive to achieve face-to-face talks while paying attention to the coronavirus epidemic.
South Korean media: The new U.S. defense minister reiterated
The Korean-American alliance is indestructible.
According to a Yonhap report on the 24th, on the same day, the new U.S. Defense Minister Austin also talked on the phone with South Korean Defense Secretary Xu Xu Xu, reaffirming that the South Korean-American alliance is indestructible and the defense departments of the two countries will continue to maintain close cooperation.
Austin commented that the South Korean-American alliance is the key to peace and stability in Northeast Asia, and the two sides will further consolidate their alliance in the future.
The two sides agreed that considering the regional situation, including the Korean Peninsula, the cooperation between the two countries is more important than ever.
In order to develop the Korean-American alliance into a mutually reinforcing and future-oriented alliance, the two sides will communicate frankly about common concerns at any time.
In addition, the two agreed to meet in the near future to have in-depth discussions on more matters.
