US, Japan ‘Stand Firmly Together’ in the Face of Aggressive Chinese Actions

While there is wide-spread speculation about what the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump will do with regard to its massive troop presence in Europe, the administration has made it clear that it intends to maintain and strengthen the U.S. military presence in Japan vis-a-vis an increasingly aggressive China – especially with a Taiwan emergency in mind.

Speaking in Tokyo on March 30, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. and Japan “stand firmly together in the face of aggressive and coercive actions by the Communist Chinese.”

“Japan would be on the front lines of any contingency we might face in the western Pacific and we stand together in support of each other,” Hegseth said during a joint press conference with Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen in Tokyo, after the first U.S.-Japan defense ministers’ meeting to take place since Trump took office in January. “Japan is an indispensable partner in deterring Communist Chinese military aggression,” Hegseth added.

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