Japan scraps U.S. meeting after Washington demands more defense spending, FT reports

Japan has reportedly cancelled a planned high-level security meeting with the United States after Washington pressed Tokyo to increase its defense spending, according to the Financial Times.

The annual “2+2” talks, originally scheduled for July 1 and meant to bring together U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth with Japanese Foreign and Defence Ministers Takeshi Iwaya and Gen Nakatani, were called off after the Trump administration allegedly raised its demand for Japan’s defence budget to 3.5% of GDP, higher than the previously suggested 3%.

Separately, Nikkei reported that the U.S. is now requesting Asian allies, including Japan, to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP. However, a Japanese foreign ministry official denied any discussion of such figures and suggested the meeting's cancellation may also be linked to scheduling difficulties, particularly due to Hegseth’s involvement in the Middle East crisis.

A U.S. official confirmed that Japan had postponed the meeting weeks earlier but didn’t provide a reason. Neither the State Department nor the Pentagon commented on the report, and Japanese government offices did not respond to media inquiries.

The FT also reported that the increased demand came from Elbridge Colby, a senior Pentagon official, who has also recently stirred tensions with Australia by reassessing a submarine project. Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba previously stated that Japan’s defence budget is a domestic decision, following Colby’s calls for greater Japanese military spending to counter China.

The meeting’s cancellation also comes ahead of Japan’s July 20 upper house elections seen as a key test for Ishiba’s ruling coalition and before a NATO summit, where President Trump is expected to again push for increased defence contributions from European allies.

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