U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Wednesday urged Japan to move swiftly on its plan to raise defence spending but said he had not made any specific requests regarding the scale of the increase during talks with his Japanese counterpart.
Hegseth's remarks came a day after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told visiting U.S. President Donald Trump that she was determined to strengthen Japan’s defence capabilities and increase its military budget.
“It’s an important step forward, and we hope it will be implemented and believe it will be as soon as possible,” Hegseth said at a joint press conference with Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi following their meeting in Tokyo.
In her policy address last week, Takaichi said the government intends to raise defence spending to 2% of gross domestic product in the fiscal year ending March 2026, up from around 1.8% at present. This would be two years ahead of schedule, though still below NATO’s new target of 5% of GDP by 2035.
Asked whether he had proposed a specific numerical goal, Hegseth replied, “There were certainly no demands placed on Japan from the United States.”
In June, the Financial Times reported that Japan had cancelled an annual high-level meeting with Washington after the Trump administration pressed Tokyo to spend more on defence.
Japan views its current security environment as the most serious since the end of the Second World War, citing regional instability driven by China’s military expansion and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.
“Make no mistake — our alliance is vital to deterring Chinese military aggression,” Hegseth said.
Japan already hosts the largest concentration of U.S. forces stationed overseas, including an aircraft carrier, a Marine expeditionary unit, and numerous fighter jets.
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More than 1,000 firefighters are battling to contain two major wildfires in northern Japan for a fourth consecutive day, as flames advance towards residential areas and force thousands to flee.
Residents in central Gaza are preparing to vote in municipal elections on Saturday (25 April), marking the first ballot in the Strip since 2006. The vote in Deir al-Balah is being watched closely as a rare indication of public sentiment, including towards Hamas.
Militants have staged coordinated attacks in Mali’s capital, Bamako, and several locations across the country, the army said on Saturday (25 April), in an assault apparently involving jihadist and Tuareg-led groups.
Argentina has reiterated its interest in resuming talks with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South Atlantic, after reports that an internal Pentagon email suggested reviewing Washington’s support for the UK’s claim amid tensions over the Iran war.
Diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war are intensifying, with the White House confirming that U.S. President Donald Trump will send special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to Islamabad for talks with Iran under Pakistani mediation.
Russian emergency services have contained a major fire at the Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea coast, local officials said on Thursday, ending a four-day effort after a Ukrainian drone strike.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Azerbaijan for talks with President Ilham Aliyev, holding meetings in Gabala on Saturday (25 April) during a working visit to the country.
Slovenia’s national broadcaster RTV Slovenia has confirmed it will not air the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, joining a widening boycott over Israel’s participation.
More than 1,000 firefighters are battling to contain two major wildfires in northern Japan for a fourth consecutive day, as flames advance towards residential areas and force thousands to flee.
Militants have staged coordinated attacks in Mali’s capital, Bamako, and several locations across the country, the army said on Saturday (25 April), in an assault apparently involving jihadist and Tuareg-led groups.
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Argentina has reiterated its interest in resuming talks with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South Atlantic, after reports that an internal Pentagon email suggested reviewing Washington’s support for the UK’s claim amid tensions over the Iran war.
China has urged the European Union to take its concerns seriously over new cybersecurity and digital regulations, warning they could create difficulties for Chinese companies operating in Europe.
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