US Def Sec Austin Meets With Japanese Counterpart

11:00 ET 16:00 BST: Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will host Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi at the Pentagon.

• 15:00 ET 20:00 BST: Following the meeting Pentagon spox John Kirby will hold a presser to be streamed on the Department of Defense website: https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/#/?currentVideo=28672
• The meeting comes as tensions increase between Japan and North Korea. This morning the Japan defence ministry reported that North Korea has tested a long range ballistic missile.
• Japan PM Fumio Kishida met Italian President Mario Draghi in Rome today and expressed concern for the missile tests by North Korea.
• Kishida: 'As shown by today's missile launch by North Korea, the degree of tension in East Asia is rising.'
• Closer collaboration between the United States and Japan is expected to be a prominent focus of the new US China strategy to be unveiled by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tomorrow.
• There have also been persistent rumours that Japan may be invited to join AUKUS, the military alliance between the US, UK, and Australia, which have been denied by Tokyo, but may be addressed today.