WASHINGTON, 08 December 2022, (TON): Secretary of State Blinken, Secretary of Defense Austin, Minister for Foreign Affairs Hayashi, and Minister of Defense Kishi convened the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee virtually in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, Japan on January 6 and 7, 2022, respectively.

The Ministers strongly reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and recognized the U.S.-Japan Alliance’s critical role as the cornerstone of regional peace, security, and prosperity.

They expressed their determination to constantly modernize the Alliance and strengthen joint capabilities by fully aligning strategies and prioritizing goals together, to address evolving security challenges in an ever more integrated manner, with partners and across all instruments of national power, domains, and the full spectrum of situations.

They also discussed the trend of increasing malign activities in the cyber, space, and other domains, and attempts to change the status quo through coercive or predatory means short of armed conflict.

Japan reiterated its resolve to fundamentally reinforce its defense capabilities to bolster its national defense and contribute to regional peace and stability.

The United States welcomed Japan’s resolve and expressed its determination to optimize its posture and capabilities in the Indo-Pacific as expressed in the recently completed Global Posture Review.