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US-JAPAN: Def Mins To Meet 30 March As US Pushes Japan To Lift Military Spending

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Sankei reports that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will meet his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani in Tokyo on 30 March, the first meeting of the two since President Donald Trump's inauguration. The report claims that Hegseth will also meet with PM Shigeru Ishiba during the visit. 

  • The ostensible subject of the meeting will be discussing the strengthening of response capabilities and a review of command and control between Japan's Self-Defence Forces and the US military.
  • However, the wider context of Hegseth's visit is that the US is pressuring Japan to increase its defence spending to 3% of GDP and take on more of a prominent role in Indo-Pacific security.
  • According to the RUSI, "Japan is on track to allocate 1.6% of its GDP to defence in FY2024, with plans to reach 2% by 2027,"
  • Earlier in March, Ishiba pushed back against US calls for Tokyo to raise military spending to 3%, saying Japan "determines its own defence spending, not at the direction of any other country,"
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Sankei reports that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will meet his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani in Tokyo on 30 March, the first meeting of the two since President Donald Trump's inauguration. The report claims that Hegseth will also meet with PM Shigeru Ishiba during the visit. 

  • The ostensible subject of the meeting will be discussing the strengthening of response capabilities and a review of command and control between Japan's Self-Defence Forces and the US military.
  • However, the wider context of Hegseth's visit is that the US is pressuring Japan to increase its defence spending to 3% of GDP and take on more of a prominent role in Indo-Pacific security.
  • According to the RUSI, "Japan is on track to allocate 1.6% of its GDP to defence in FY2024, with plans to reach 2% by 2027,"
  • Earlier in March, Ishiba pushed back against US calls for Tokyo to raise military spending to 3%, saying Japan "determines its own defence spending, not at the direction of any other country,"